Friendly Fire
by mutedsymphony
Summary: Nikita wakes up to a broken body in a different life. Her powers are out of control- and sought by many. Can she find a way home and fend off the danger with the help of her new found friends before time runs out? [Kurapika x OC] {Dedicated to Bella!}
1. Chapter 1

Leorio made his way back to the hotel after an exhausting evening of studying at the library. He had tried his best to get stuff done in the comfort of his five star suite, but the boys always made such ruckus when he was there, he never was able to concentrate.

It was Friday night in York Shin, which often meant loud parties and police sirens, but Leorio trudged home quietly, mentally exhausted from trying to memorize as much of his anatomy text book as he could. He felt bitter about the contrast of the lively streets and his almost sullen mood. Had it been a weekend back at his college… things might have been different. The cops might have been called for the mess _he _was making, but he did have an exam coming up soon, and between helping his friends and exploring the city, he really did need to cram.

As the third police car passed him by, sirens blaring, he squinted as he felt the oncoming of a bad headache. The sirens caused a ringing in his ears that continued several seconds after the cops had passed. But as the ringing died down, he heard chatter coming from an alley to his left. Without intending to, he eavesdropped as he passed by.

"I'll keep watch. The wreck she's in, I don't think anyone will notice her missing," came a voice, and Leorio stopped dead in his track, curiosity piqued.

"She's really putting up a struggle though," came a second voice, dripping with amusement. Straightening his back, Leorio turned on his heels and decided to check out the situation.

He walked down the dimly lit alleyway and found three men behind a dumpster.

"Hey," Leorio greeted nonchalantly, and the three men froze. They were all wearing baggy clothing and one of them seemed to sway on his feet- Leorio guessed that he wasn't exactly sober.

"Get lost," one of the men ordered. He owned the first voice Leorio had heard, and had dark brown hair and a pair of shades on, even though it was almost 11 at night.

"What's going on here?" Leorio continued, briskly walking to where the men stood, completely ignoring the man who spoke. He rounded the corner of a dumpster and saw, as he had sadly expected, a mess of clothes and limbs on the floor pushed up against the wall.

"None of your business, man. Now, piss off," repeated the man, much harsher this time.

Leorio's eyes lingered on the broken body of the young girl before him- young, but only a few years younger than himself. She was barely conscious, her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and her left leg stuck out at an odd angle.

He turned back to face them. "I'm a doctor. This is definitely my business. Now, why don't _you_ get lost," Leorio retorted coolly, thankful that he had gotten here now before the situation escalated into something much worse.

"Look," the first man started, taking off his sunglasses to reveal bloodstained eyes. Before he could continue to speak, Leorio landed a punch in one quick movement, knocking the man to the floor easily. As the other two started towards him, Leorio tutted and took out his hunter license, dangling it from his fingers casually.

The men recognized the Hunter insignia, and in a panicked hurry, they grabbed their friend off the floor and made a dash to the street. Leorio had to hold back a laugh. His license did indeed come with many privileges.

Without allowing himself to bask in his triumph for too long, he approached the girl on the floor slowly. He spotted a shard of glass held tightly in her right hand. She had tried to fend her attackers off, but from the looks of her bloody hand, had done more harm to herself than them.

"Stay…there…" the girl wheezed softly, trying to sound threatening, but coming off as almost pitiful.

"I'm a medical student," Leorio told her. "I can help."

The girl was too out of it to deliberate for long. All she wanted to do was give in to sleep and pass out, but in the back of her head she knew this could all be an elaborate plan by her attackers. However, the urgency of her fatigue and the dull throbbing of pain in her abdomen and leg told her that if she didn't get help soon, she probably wouldn't wake up from her sleep.

Slowly, and with much difficulty, the girl found the strength to unclench the glass from her grasp. It fell to the floor with a clatter that echoed through the alleyway, fading into the background of the bustling nighttime of York Shin.

Crouching low, Leorio made sure to move slowly so as not to alarm the girl, but he could see that even if he did do something to her against her will, she was in no condition to fight back.

He set his suitcase on the ground and opened it. "What's your name?" he asked in a friendly tone. He could hardly see the girl's deep brown eyes through the slits of her heavy lids. She was barely keeping herself awake.

"N-nikita," she managed, her voice coming out raspy.

"That's a nice name. I'm Leorio," he introduced himself. "Nikita, can you tell me where it hurts? And I know it's hard, but please try to stay with me."

The man's gentle voice soothed her throbbing head. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see a flash of bright light and hear a deafening clamour, but she could barely fight the temptation of sleep.

"I'll try," she whispered weakly, then after a pause: "I can't really…feel much. But, I think, my chest… my leg…" she glanced pointedly at her left foot. One look and Leorio knew it was broken, probably a clean cut to the tibia. He decided to look at her chest instead, since her voice worried him.

He gently pulled aside the light brown jacket she was wearing, only to see a bruise crawling out from under her tank top. After a few more glances and some prodding, whilst trying to keep the girl as calm and clothed as possible, Leorio sighed.

"You're in obvious shock, and your leg is broken. You might be bleeding internally, too. I need to get you to a hospital," he told her, though his voice was still calm. "Not to mention your bleeding hand, which will need stitching. Do you remember what happened?"

The girl's slip on consciousness slipped for a second, but the flashing lights and crashing sounds forced her back. She shook her head slowly. Pulling out his bulky cell phone, Leorio dialed a few numbers and ordered an ambulance to his current location. When he hung up, he looked at the girl again. She was fighting so hard to stay awake, but he could see that she was losing.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?" he asked, but she didn't answer for a few moments.

"Am I on fire?" she asked him softly. Her question was so sincere, that he thought he misheard her at first. "I've seen… flames around me for a while. Don't really… feel anything though…"

Leorio racked his brain for an explanation for her hallucinations. Shock? Trauma? Head injury? All possibilities that did not seem convincing enough for him. He knew there was something he was missing- something he'd only recently experienced himself.

His head turned with a snap as he remembered the most recent lesson in Nen that Killua and Gon had given him. It was the opening of the aura channels in his eyes- Gyo.

Concentrating hard, Leorio tried to activate Gyo, and when he did, he stumbled back in alarm. From the girl's body came a blindingly bright light that extended for several meters in each direction.

He had no idea what was going on, but he knew that there was something off about her. Most people's aura looked more like smoke or mist, but she seemed to have been fitted with intense spotlights. Squinting his eyes against the light, he deactivated the aura in his eyes and made his way next to her again.

"I want you to follow my voice- think of this as a guided relaxation," he told her, not feeling completely at ease with teaching Nikita something he had only mastered recently. But, he could now understand why she was so exhausted. Her life force was flowing out of her uncontrollably, wave after wave crashing onto him and engulfing him with feelings of doubt, lethargy, and fear.

Nikita was barely able to nod and did as she was told, trying to put out the 'fire' that had surrounded her by sheer will. It took a few moments, but to Leorio's surprise, she managed to stop her aura from flowing so freely. If she hadn't, he knew _that _would have killed her long before her injuries did.

In the distance, Leorio heard the familiar sirens of an ambulance that made its way to his location. The girl seemed to have heard them, too, for she glanced up at Leorio, gave him a small smile, and then succumbed to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! It's Pixie here with chapter two of my new fic. I just wanted to say thank you to Bella (TitanKisses on here... ) for helping me out and giving me so much support this summer. We are both publishing stories after starting a writing challenge together, so if you are into D Gray-Man, you should definitely check out her amazing Lavi fic! **

**Anyway, enough of my writing. Onwards to the next chapter. Please review!**

* * *

The first sense that Nikita regained was her hearing. She could hear the swishing of sheets and a strange, constant beeping sound. On one side of her – she couldn't pinpoint which one in her dazed state – she also heard voices talking lowly, just above a whisper.

She could feel a migraine building up in the back of her head, and she groaned at the prospect of facing a full-fledged headache. She was too tired to bother with anything.

The voices stopped suddenly at the noise that escaped her lips.

"Should I call Leorio?" someone asked.

"I think that's a good idea," said the second one, and then there was some shuffling followed by the sound of a door closing.

Next came her sense of feeling all over her body, and she was shocked at the intense pain that bombarded her body suddenly. She wanted to scream, but her voice couldn't handle such a strain and gave up on her.

"Oi, calm down," a nonchalant voice spoke up from beside her. _Calm down?_ _How can I possibly calm down when-_

Before she could think her thought through, another surge of pain shot through her body and she clenched her teeth to stop a second silent scream from escaping her throat.

She didn't know how long it lasted- it felt like hours, but then suddenly, the pain felt as though it were being sucked out of her body and instead, the horrible weight of exhaustion settled over her like a fog. Slowly, she willed her eyes to open, and was greeted by the bright white hospital room she was accommodating.

The brightness reminded her of the series of sounds and flashing lights she'd seen before passing out, but her head still throbbed at the memory. Cautiously, she lifted her upper body with her arms and looked around the room.

It looked like any ordinary hospital room and the septic smell lingered in the cold air. The one thing that stuck out was the pale boy sitting beside her, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched her.

Nikita held his gaze for a few seconds, her sleepy state removing all inhibitions as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Where was she? What had happened? Who was this boy with insanely white hair?

"…Are you okay?" the boy asked uncertainly, but the words didn't register until half a minute late. Nikita nodded, but then saw the state of her body. She was covered in bandages and her left leg was in a cast and held up- broken.

Killua watched the mortified expression that fell on the drowsy girl's face. He didn't really know what had happened- only that Leorio had found her and declared himself responsible for her until she could get back to her family.

"Do you remember… what happened?" Killua asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling awkward now that he had been left alone with the girl. He hadn't been very social before meeting Gon, and there were still some barriers between him and people- especially those around his age.

Nikita stared at her body as though in a trance, trying to fit the images and sounds that ran through her head into a sequence of events that would help her remember. She could hear sirens, she could feel fingers prodding her ribs, taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth, see the glint of glass and blood in her hand.

Her head throbbed even more when she tried to hold on to any of the memories- so she stopped. She looked back up at the boy and shook her head slowly. Just then, the door opened and three men (well, two men and a boy with spiked up black hair) entered the room. She remembered one of the men from before. What was his name?

_L…Leo…?_

"She just woke up, Leorio," Killua stated to the glasses wearing man in a suit. _That was his name!_

"I see that," Leorio said as he made his way over to the foot of her bed. "How are you feeling, Nikita?"

His steps seemed so slow and deliberate, but then suddenly he was beside her bed. She felt as though she was experienced multiple miniature time lapses, or that she was inside a movie and someone kept pressing the fast-forward and play buttons at random.

"…Where am I?" She decided to voice the first question that came into her head, and she was surprised at how detached her voice sounded.

"You are currently a patient at the Sacred Hills Hospital in York Shin," the man behind Leorio replied. He was wearing a white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. Despite the obvious signs, it took a while before Mina registered that he was her doctor. "I'm Dr. Rojei Matts," the doctor introduced himself. He had salt and pepper hair and bright blue eyes. Almost too bright.

There was another skip. Bright, flashing lights. She could hear music blasting from the radio. And then-

She was back at the hospital, with three curious faces staring at her.

"Nikita?"

"Your wounds seem to be textbook vehicular accident ones," the doctor, Matts, said from the side of the hospital room. Nikita tore her eyes away from Leorio and the two youths to look at him. He had put up some x-ray photos up on a board and pressed a button for the backlights. "Your tibia was cleanly broken and you obtained multiple fractures to several ribs. Your larynx was-"

Nikita managed to drift off as Dr. Matts chanted a long list of broken bones and other injuries. Car accident? She tried to think, but couldn't remember. All she could see were the shining bright lights. Could that have been headlights?

"…Temporary amnesia is not uncommon," Dr. Matts concluded, and Nikita figured she must have hit her head pretty hard. But one look at the doctor, and she knew he wasn't finished.

"However…" he began, and started putting up new x-rays.

"However?" the little kid with spiky hair repeated, looking from Nikita to the board beside the doctor.

"These images were just taken seconds apart, and already it seems that at least one of your ribs have completely healed over." Nikita examined the x-rays, and was surprised to see that the rib with the smallest fracture had, indeed, healed over. She didn't really know what to make of it. Her head felt fuzzy.

"Also, the contusions on your chest have been diminishing incredibly fast," he continued, pointing a finger at Nikita. She looked down at her bandaged chest, but wasn't sure how it had looked like before, so could not really compare.

"That's… amazing," Leorio muttered thoughtfully, placing a hand on his chin.

"…I understand this is a touchy subject, but as you are Hunters…" Dr. Matts began, looking nervously at the three other men in the room. 'Hunters?' Nikita had no idea what this meant. How could two young boys be hunters anyway?

"Go on," the kid with spiky hair encouraged.

"Could this have anything to do with Nen? It seems like that's the only reasonable explanation."

Nikita watched as they continued to discuss this 'Nen' thing. She did not have the slightest clue what it could be, and she was feeling much too exhausted to ask.

"Well, in any case, her condition is stable and she is free to go home. However, we have not been able to locate her family. There have been no severe accidents within the city and bordering cities of York Shin, nor have their been any missing reports of a girl named Nikita," the doctor spoke, though something in his voice seemed off.

"Well," Leorio began, scratching the back of his head. "I have no qualms over her staying with us at the hotel," he shot Nikita a look. "Would that be alright with you? To stay with us until we sort out how to get you home?"

Despite not knowing him, Nikita felt overjoyed at his hospitality. It was one less worry in her mind- what she would do until she could get back home.

"Yes. Please," she answered- and she was surprised to hear that her voice wasn't as wispy as before. "If it's okay with you."

And within the hour, Nikita found herself in the backseat of a black sedan. Her clothes had been discarded as they had been too ripped and singed to wear, but the nurse who had attended to her had given her some sweatpants and shirt to wear instead. Nikita really liked the nurse. Her name was Lisa and had long brown hair. Nikita almost wished she could have stayed longer at the hospital to get to know her.

"I didn't like the doctor," came the white haired boy's voice from the passenger seat beside Leorio.

"Nikita, this runt here is Killua. The runt next to you is Gon," Leorio introduced the boys as they seemed to have forgotten to do that themselves.

"Nice to meet you!" Gon chimed, extending a hand to Nikita. Smiling at his enthusiasm, Nikita shook hands with him. "Why not, Killua?" Gon asked, suddenly directing his attention to his friend.

"Something was…off. I didn't like him. He was too nosy about the whole Nen business."

"Maybe he was just curious? Not too many people know about it. I can't imagine it's everyday he meets Nen-users," Leorio reasoned, but Killua shook his messy white locks before sighing.

"Yeah, maybe," Killua said dejectedly, though he didn't sound too convinced.

"Uhm," Nikita cleared her throat. When she saw Gon look at her, she opened her mouth and asked, "Nen?"

"Mm… Nen is, like… your life force. Energy that everyone has, but not everyone can master. If you manage to control it though, you can do incredible things. Like how you're healing so fast," Gon tried to explain, but the empty stare he got back showed that he wasn't very successful.

_Life force? Nen? _Nikita still hadn't totally abandoned the idea that this was all a crazy nightmare, but as more time passed her doubt grew. She found it surprisingly easy to accept what Gon had told her and not think about it too much. Her state of minor disbelief and the lingering exhaustion helped her, of course.

Nikita turned her attention to the view outside her window. It seemed to be around sunset, and the city was just starting to bustle with life.

"Where are we?" Nikita asked absent-mindedly.

"Yorkshin," Leorio replied. "We're on our way to the Regent Hotel in the city center," he continued to explain. Nikita tried to rack her brain for any hint of familiarity, but found nothing. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. Kidnap? Maybe. In this almost-dream everything seemed possible. But then why leave her in a dark, filthy alley?

Nikita groaned, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache begin to set in. "I'm too tired for this."

"Tell me about it," came Killua's possibly sarcastic reply. Nikita didn't have the energy to pay him any mind.

"Killua's not so good with people," Gon told Nikita, smiling apologetically. "Especially pretty girls."

_Woah. That was smooth for a 12 year old._ Nikita smiled back in understanding. "I don't mind. And thank you."

Killua scoffed in front of them.

Within minutes, Leorio parked the car in front of a grand looking hotel. The valet service employee rushed to open Leorio's door and help him out. Gon was out of the car in an instant, appearing by Nikita to help her out. She laughed at his manners as he pulled her out of the car and held her steady as she got used to the crutch the hospital had given her.

"I could carry you if you like," he offered, and that made Nikita laugh harder.

"Honey, I'm twice your size, at least," she told him.

"No, really. I can," he replied with all seriousness. Nikita did not want to try, though.

"Maybe when my leg gets better?" she said, suddenly feeling shy under his direct gaze.

"Oh, Dr. Paladiknight! Welcome back!" The bellboy said, coming up to greet Leorio. _That's a weird last name…_Nikita thought to herself.

"I'm not a doctor _yet,_ Seif," Leorio emphasized, and the bellboy, Seif, just grinned and nodded.

"Oh, and we have a new guest!" Seif said brightly, walking up to Nikita. "Do you need any help, Ma'am? Is there anything I can carry for you?"

Nikita wasn't used to this kind of…service, and simply shook her head nervously. "No, thank you, sir. I'm fine."

Seif shot Leorio a look and broke out in full grin again. "She called me 'sir'," he told Leorio, as if it were a secret, and then went back inside. "Alright, well, the guys know where to find me if you need anything!" And with that he disappeared.

"Weirdo," Killua muttered under his breath, before walking through the automatic doors and into the hotel. Leorio followed him and Nikita staggered after, Gon by her side with his hand out on either side to catch her if she fell.

They took the elevator to the 29th floor, which also happened to be the highest one. Nikita hadn't been to such a fancy hotel before. If she had been slightly more awake, she might've gone exploring for a bit, but at the moment all she could think about was lying down somewhere- anywhere- to sleep…

Room 297 was essentially the platinum suite. One big-ass kitchen, fully equipped with a free bar and snacks. A large living room, with the most comfortable looking sofa set Nikita had ever seen and a flat screen TV that was wider than she was tall. There were two rooms with three beds each and en suite bathrooms, plus a third bathroom connected to the living room.

Basically- heaven.

Leorio stood in the middle of the living room, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll just move my stuff to the boys' room then," he said, after concluding the tour.

"Oh, I don't mind-" Nikita began, but Leorio just smiled.

"It would be rude of me not to offer you your own room. Plus, they're not so bad. They'll just have to put up with my late night cramming, though they sleep like rocks so I doubt that'll be a problem!"

And with that, he went to the room at the end of the short corridor and moved his suitcase to the room next door.

"Nikita-san, you look tired. Why don't you go to bed? Or would you like to eat something first?" Gon asked, still hovering beside her in case she tripped.

"I think I will go to bed," Nikita smiled at him. "I'm not feeling too hungry, but thank you anyway." With that, Gon led the way to her new room. Killua practically threw himself on the couch and picked up a video game controller.

The room was large and spacious, with two beds placed perpendicularly to the wall on one side, and another pushed against the wall opposite. Nikita picked that one, as she liked to press her forehead against the wall when it got too warm.

"Do you need help taking off your clothes?" Gon asked innocently, and though she knew he was a kid, Nikita couldn't help the awkward laugh that escaped her lips.

"No, thanks. I think I can manage," she said, and then she sighed. "Thank you guys so much for letting me stay here. It's a relief to have a place to stay until I figure things out."

"No problem!" Gon replied cheerily. "It's the least we could do." He made his way to the door. "We're literally next door, so just shout if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks. Again." Nikita didn't know any other way to express her gratitude. Gon closed the door, grinning and waving in the process.

When the door closed, Nikita placed her crutch against the wall and shuffled over to her bed. There was a lamp on her bedside table that was providing light, so she managed not to knock anything over or stub her toe in the process. Slowly, she lay down on the bed. Her leg felt heavy with the cast, but it wasn't hurting her.

Sighing again, she closed her eyes. She didn't know what was going on. She couldn't remember much, and that frustrated her. The doctor had told her that her leg would probably heal in a couple of days, and that seemed like an absurd thing to believe. She kept telling herself that this was a dream, but the doubt continued to grow. She didn't know how much longer she could push the reality at bay- whatever the reality was.

Turning to her side, she found the switch for the lamp and pressed it, before pulling the covers over her. The bed was cool and clean, and she sighed contentedly before deciding to allow herself to get some deeply needed sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Pixie Says: Here's the third chapter! It's a bit longer, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows. I'll try to post on a weekly basis. All feedback is welcome!**

* * *

A few hours later, Nikita opened her eyes to be greeted by darkness. There was an alarm clock on the nightstand that read a bit after 1 a.m., and it didn't take long to realize why she woke up.

She was so incredibly _hungry._

After turning on the light and shuffling to the bathroom with the help of the wall, she did what she needed to do and washed her hands and face. There was a complementary toothbrush and paste set from the hotel, and she gladly used those, too. When she was done, she made her way to her crutch, and then trudged out of the room and into the living room.

"Morning, Nikita-san!" Gon greeted from the couch.

"Oi, focus!" Killua chastised him, and Nikita noticed that they both had video game controllers in their hands.

"It's one a.m.," Nikita said flatly, watching as they battled it out in a car-racing game. "Why aren't you kids sleeping?"

"We're studying," Gon replied, in all honesty, as he drove his car off a cliff. "Nooo! I'll never get my license like this!"

"Idiot!" Killua shouted back. "This is a _game!_ Driving a real car will obviously require more than pushing buttons!"

"What? More?" Gon asked, horrified.

"You're studying for…your driving license?" Nikita asked, and Killua scoffed.

"No," Gon answered. "Killua and I are looking for a video game that my dad made. We don't know what kind of game it is, so we're practicing everything we can."

"When we're not trying to earn money that is," Killua added. "But at this rate, 99% of the world's population would have a better chance of beating your dad's game than YOU!"

"Killua! Don't be mean!" Gon whined. He suddenly perked up and looked at Nikita. "Oh, by the way. Leorio went to study at the library, but he left you some sandwiches in the fridge."

"Oh, great. Thank you," Nikita replied, before going to the kitchen to grab them. They weren't that hard to find- the fridge was practically empty except for the plate of sandwiches, a bottle of milk, and a bunch of energy drinks. She grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the sink.

Nikita got back to the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch as she watched the two continue to race each other. She wondered what Gon's background was. His father? Videogames?

Somehow, her thoughts stung her but she couldn't, for the life of her, remember why.

She ate the sandwiches in peace- well, apart from Killua and Gon's banters. The sandwiches were actually quite good, and they filled her up immediately. She set the plate down and sipped at her water.

It was quite obvious that Gon was outmatched by Killua's gaming skills. When Gon had driven his car off a cliff for the fourth time in a row, Nikita interrupted his wailing to ask if she could give it a try.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl," Killua warned. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, but despite the difference in height, his glare was still fearsome.

"I wasn't expecting you to," Nikita answered neutrally, looking away from his eyes to the screen.

A few minutes later, and they had both completed a track. Nikita had, of course, lost, but she managed much better than Gon had, and it almost looked like Killua had struggled.

"Wah! Nikita-san, you almost beat Killua!"

"No, she didn't!"

"Can we go again? I didn't get the hang of the buttons in the beginning," Nikita asked Killua, who simply rolled his eyes and obliged.

The second one was even more amusing. Killua's fingers moved at lightning fast speed, but when the race was over, he had only won by 2 seconds.

"Gah! This game is stupid!" Killua said, obviously not happy with his narrow victory as he threw his controller across the floor. "I'm going to bed."

"Killua~" Gon whined, shooting apologetic looks to Nikita, who had to hold back a chuckle. He was a sore loser, it seemed.

There was one thing that bothered her, though. Well, two. In this place, there was not a single letter she could decipher. Not on the TV, nor the books on the shelf nearby. Outside, the neon lit advertisements made no sense to her, and that filled her stomach with dread.

Two, she remembered something. Evenings on the couch with her father and his friends, playing fighting videogames and laughing. Her father. She couldn't remember what he looked like, but she could hear him laughing. She could feel him pat her back when she wiped the floor with one of his friends at Tekken. There was something else. What was she missing?

"Sorry, Nikita-san. Killua's being extra grumpy today," Gon said, coming back from his and Killua's room.

"No worries, Gon," Nikita told him. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Gon urged her, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Gon, is there an atlas somewhere here?" Nikita asked Gon, and to her surprise, he nodded, running off to the bookshelf by the TV and grabbing one of the larger books.

"What are you looking for?" Gon asked, plopping down on the floor and opening the book to a page with the map of the world. Nikita felt her heart drop. This was a cruel dream.

Gon noticed her hesitation and gave her a questioning look. Sighing, Nikita sat down on the carpeted floor beside him, being careful about her leg.

"I come from a place that doesn't look like… that. We have the same continents, I think, but they're arranged differently," Nikita explained. She saw his eyes widen.

"So, you're not from…here? This world?" Gon asked, and Nikita shrugged.

"I think I should be freaking out about it, but I'm kind of hoping this isn't real," she admitted. Without saying anything, Gon leaned over and poked Nikita's cast. "Ow! What was that for?" She hissed, and Gon gave her a steady look.

"It wouldn't hurt if this was a dream," he told her, and that was that. The last grain of doubt she had in her mind vanished, and she realized her situation. Somehow, she felt at peace. Like the calm before the storm.

"So, what does your world look like?" Gon asked, looking back at the map. Nikita smiled and began explaining how the continents were arranged differently and what they were called. Some of them sounded familiar to him, like Azia, but others did not.

"I can't read the writing here, either," Nikita admitted, when Gon pointed at the name of the country they were currently in. Gon looked at her in disbelief.

"But you speak it perfectly fine!"

"I don't know why I can do that. I can't read though. Where I come from, I know English and French…" she trailed off as she said that. The words sounded so foreign to her in her new tongue. She really was speaking a different language. "Anyway, we use the Latin alphabet in both languages. I have no idea what this is," she said, gesturing to the letters on the Atlas.

Gon was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "So, if this was your world, where did you live?"

They spent about an hour talking about their worlds, with Gon showing Nikita where he was from, a quaint island appropriately named after its cetacean-like shape. He told her about his life, Mito-san, and his father. He explained how he had met his two roommates –the hunter exam- and what that was exactly. There was also a mention of a fourth boy who would be meeting them in York Shin.

Nikita enjoyed listening to the boy talking- he was very animated and excited about sharing the experiences he had over the last year, but once the hour was up, she found herself falling back into a state of exhaustion. Gon noticed and helped her up before getting her to bed.

She slept well, but there was that constant worry nagging away at her. How on earth was she going to get home? And why couldn't she remember much of it?

At around noon, Nikita slowly opened her eyes to the glaring sunlight that came through the window and landed oh-so-conveniently on her face. She rubbed her eyes and ran a hand over the messy ponytail that held her dark brown locks before slowly heaving herself out of bed.

She could hear that others were up- there was some commotion coming from what she presumed to be the kitchen. After using the bathroom and getting ready for the day, she made her way back to her room.

Her leg felt much better already, and she wondered if it was all right to stretch. In the end, she decided to chance it.

Her muscle memory was impeccable, and with the feeling of stretching her limbs, she remembered performing gymnastics. She didn't understand how she could forget such a big part of her life, but now that it was back, she felt like part of her identity had been retrieved, at least.

The sweatpants came in the way of doing splits, so she took them off. She was wearing black boxers underneath that didn't restrict her movements much. Just as she was about to use the bed to slowly lower herself onto the ground with her legs on either side of her, there was a knock on the door and in came a disgruntled-looking Killua.

"Oi, if you don't get up soon, there won't be any food left for-" he began, but then paused when he saw what Nikita was wearing. Or, more accurately, wasn't wearing. "What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled accusingly, and Nikita found the fact that his cheeks turned several shades red very amusing.

"Oh, Killua. Could you help me?" she asked him, lifting herself off the bed with her arms. "I'm trying to do a split, but the cast is in the way," she explained, and he looked at her like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Your tibia was cut in two and you're doing splits?" he asked her, and she shrugged.

"If you help me, I won't put too much pressure on it and it shouldn't be a problem," she told him, and he paused. She could tell he was thinking of bailing, but after a few moments, he sighed and closed the door after him.

Without saying a word, he put his arms under her shoulders and slowly let her sink towards the ground. Once she was comfortable, he let go and stepped back.

"Is it true you're not from this world?" he asked her, extremely direct. Nikita looked at him and was, once again, caught in his ferocious stare. She looked away quickly.

"Mm, it seems so," she told him neutrally.

"And this doesn't worry you?" he asked her. Again, his tone was to the point.

"Of course, it does," she replied. "I have no idea where I am or how I'm going to get back. But there's too much to sort out right now, so worrying about it is a waste of time and energy. I don't seem to have much of the latter at the moment. Help me up half-way."

Killua stepped up again and helped her up partially. Carefully, Nikita moved her legs so that they were in front and behind her. Her good leg was easy enough, but the damn cast made everything heavy on the other one. Killua set her down slowly once again.

"You know, there might be people out there looking for your kind," Killua said softly, almost like a warning.

"What do you mean?" Nikita asked him, concentrating on her legs so that she wouldn't have to look at his electric blue eyes again.

"The Outside is a place that people aren't allowed to go to or even get involved with. There are probably countless hunters waiting to get their hands on something, anything, from the other worlds to find out more about it," Killua explained, and Nikita was surprised that "other worlds" was a legitimate thing here.

"Is this something else I should be worried about?" Nikita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably," Killua told her casually.

"Is there a way to see if others are from "the Outside"? she asked him, and he shrugged.

"According to Leorio, your Nen looked different. That might be a way," Killua said, and then stepped up when she looked at him expectantly. He helped her up until she could sit on the bed on her own, and Nikita smiled at him. She stood up on her own, and without warning, placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair.

"Thank you, Killua," she told him, before turning around to put her sweatpants back on.

"What the hell?" she heard Killua exclaim, a few seconds too late. She looked at him over her shoulder and saw that his cheeks were dusted with pink. She smiled cheekily at him and shrugged, hoping that she hadn't overstepped her boundaries too much.

"Ugh. Whatever. There might be some pancakes left if Gon hasn't gotten to them yet," he grunted, heading towards the door. Nikita nodded, grabbed her crutch and made her way after him.

The kitchen was lively, with Leorio doing dishes and Gon staring at a plate of pancakes with an almost painful expression. He looked up when his best friend and Nikita walked through the door.

"Morning, Nikita!" Gon greeted her, and she smiled. Leorio looked over his shoulder at that and smiled.

"Ah, morning. I got you a few things today," Leorio told her, nodding at a bag on the kitchen table. Nikita stared at the bag and then at Leorio, but he didn't pay her any notice.

Walking up to the table, she looked through the bag. In it, she found some simple shirts, pants, a sweater, scarf, and even a pack of underclothes.

"Lisa, the nurse, gave me your size," Leorio explained, seeing the look of disbelief on Nikita's face.

"Were you really studying last night, or were you fooling around?" Killua said, obviously disgruntled.

"Both~" Leorio sang. "Lisa helped me study!"

Nikita saw Killua facepalm himself, but she was too distracted by the gift to laugh.

"Leorio, this… I don't have anything to repay you with," she told him, almost shyly.

Leorio turned the tap off and dried his hands, before turning around and placing his hands on his hips.

"I _know_ you don't have anything to repay me with, but you still need clothes," he argued, looking at her head-on.

"But-" she began, and he held up his hand to stop her.

"Nikita, I want to become a doctor to help people, free of charge if necessary. Right now, you're letting me help you. There's nothing more fulfilling than that, in my view. So, please. Just accept the clothes and focus on getting better," he told her, and Nikita had to swallow back tears.

"Thank you," she said, her voice hushed.

"Don't worry about. Now eat some pancakes, before Gon swallows them with his eyes," Leorio ordered her, turning back to the dishes.

Nikita chuckled slightly, taking a seat beside said boy. The plate had about five pancakes, and he obviously wanted more.

"I'm not too hungry, Gon. I don't think I'll eat more than two. You can take the others if you want," she told him, and his eyes immediately shone when he looked at her. He broke out into a grin and was about to shower her with 'thank yous' before Killua stuffed a syrupy piece into his mouth.

"You've been too noisy today," he complained, taking a seat on the other side of Gon and pouring himself a glass of milk.

Gon didn't object- he was happy enough to chew the sugary goodness- and Nikita piled her pieces onto a plate and began eating.

"Thank you for the sandwiches last night," she said to Leorio, suddenly remembering them.

"No worries," Leorio told her. "Now stop thanking me for every little thing." He sounded almost annoyed, but he flashed her a grin to show her that he wasn't serious. She smiled back and continued eating.

"Ne, Killua, what should we do today? Gon asked, having almost swallowed a pancake whole.

"Internet café downstairs? We still need to raise money for the game," Killua suggested after wiping a milk moustache from his face.

"Sure, sounds like a good idea," Gon agreed before looking at Nikita. "Why don't you join us? We could use my Hunter card to find out more about your situation," he offered, and Nikita nodded.

"Okay. I need to start somewhere," she said, smiling at him in thanks. He had sort of explained to her what a Hunter was last night, but she still didn't get her head wrapped around the concept completely. She did, however, understand that it came with a bunch of benefits- which was how Leorio got into college and how they booked this luxurious hotel suite.

After she finished eating, Nikita insisted on finishing up the dishes instead of Leorio. She felt that she had to do _something_ to repay him. It didn't take too long before she was able to put her new clothes in her room and meet the boys in the corridor outside the suite. Leorio was going to study in the living room, since he'd have the whole suite to himself.

As the three of them made their way to the elevator, Gon suddenly jumped up and looked at Killua.

"Killua, want to race?" Gon asked, and almost as though Killua read his thoughts, he grinned and nodded. Gon looked back at Nikita. "Take the elevator and we'll meet you in the lobby!" Gon exclaimed, and at the count of three, they were off- speeding towards the staircase.

Nikita watched them run at an unfathomable speed and sighed. This world was so weird. Now that she thought about it, she felt almost lighter in this world, though she couldn't be sure. It was like the gravity here wasn't as strong.

She took the elevator and pressed the button to go to the ground floor, where the lobby and Internet café were located. It took a few minutes to go down the 29 floors, and when the doors finally opened, she was almost surprised to find Gon and Killua waiting for her, panting slightly.

Almost. She was getting used to these impossible things quite fast, it seemed.

"No running in the lobby!" came a familiar voice from behind them, and they all turned to see the bellboy. What was his name again?

"Sorry, Seif," Gon apologized, looking almost guilty.

"Just kidding," Seif teased. "Internet café again today?" he asked them and they nodded. "You kids…" he sighed, before smiling again. "I'm just about to go on a break. Would any of you like to join me for a few minutes?"

"Ooh! Nikita could join you! And in the meantime, we can get started at the café," Gon suggested with much excitement. Nikita didn't know why he volunteered her, but some fresh air wouldn't hurt.

"Great. I'm heading to the staff room to get some coffee and my cigs. Would you like anything?" he asked her, and when he saw her hesitate, he added: "Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Come on, it's free of charge!"

She smiled at his overflowing energy. "Hot chocolate would be nice," she told him, and he nodded.

"Gotcha. Be right back then," he said, and with that he disappeared behind a "Staff Only" door.

"The café is right there," Gon pointed out at the sign that Nikita couldn't read.

"I'll be there in a bit, then, I guess," she replied, and they both nodded before making their way there with Killua stretching his arms over his head in the process.

Something felt off. She knew Gon was hiding something, and Killua had given his friend a knowing look for a brief second, which strengthened her assumptions. But, she didn't want to be rude. She'd let them do what they had to do, and if things went smoothly she might even ask them about it later.

It didn't take long before Seif returned, two steaming Styrofoam cups in his hands. He gave one of them to Nikita with a slight flourish that had her chuckling. "Ma'am," he added, making the scene all the more awkward.

They walked out of the hotel and Nikita followed him a few meters away from the main entrance, finding it surprising easy to walk with the help of a crutch in one hand and the hindrance of a cup of hot chocolate in the other.

"My boss doesn't like me smoking in front of the entrance," Seif explained, looking almost apologetic. "Says it makes for a bad image."

Nikita was quiet. She sat on an empty bench and set her crutch aside, taking small sips from her cup. "This is really good. Thanks."

"What? Oh, no problem," Seif said, extending a pack of cigarettes to Nikita. "Want one?" Nikita shook her head.

"I'm 17," she told him, and he shrugged.

"You're old enough to smoke and drink in this city," he informed her, and her eyes widened. Again, she shook her head.

"I'll pass. But thanks, anyway."

Seif shrugged again, before putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it up. He inhaled deeply and then let the smoke out of his slightly parted lips.

"What happened to your leg, then?" he asked, eyeing her cast.

"Car accident," she replied, hoping he wouldn't ask too much. It wasn't that she minded him asking… it was more that she was worried she wouldn't have any answers to give him. "Leorio helped me. I'm staying with him until I get better," she said, and he nodded.

"Leorio's cool. Good thing he got that license of his, too. Heard he got into the best medical school in the continent because of it," Seif told her, and Nikita smiled.

"Yeah, he's been great to me."

"So, what are you going to do until you get better?" Seif asked, his dark blue eyes meeting Nikita's green ones.

"I'll probably just take it easy. Maybe help Killua and Gon out," she informed him, and he nodded in understanding.

"They're still trying to raise money for that game, right?" he asked and she nodded, not really sure how much he knew or how much she could tell him. "Well, you seem like a reliable person- minus the broken leg. I'm sure they'll be grateful for your help." Nikita smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"You say that too much," Seif laughed, taking a last puff from his cigarette. He threw it on the ground, stepping on it to stop it burning. Sighing, he ran his free hand through his dark hair, taking a sip of coffee when he was done. "I'm working for another ten hours. You have no idea how much this sucks," he grumbled, stretching his shoulders. "All this fake politeness and just, gah. You have to be nice to everyone- even the ass-hats that you really want to punch in the face."

Nikita laughed. "I'm sorry you're in this situation."

"Nah," he said, taking another sip. "Don't be. Thanks for keeping me company. You made this day just a bit better."

Nikita went speechless for a few seconds. "Oh…" she began, before clearing her throat. "Well, I'm glad I could help."

"I'll call on you for my next break," he told her, winking. Nikita laughed at how chummy he was being.

"Sure," she agreed. "I guess I should go see what the boys are up to," she said, and without a word, Seif grabbed her hand and helped her up, handing the crutch to her. "Thank-"

"You. Say. That. Too. Much," he reiterated, and she rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for the chocolate!" she told him quickly, sticking her tongue out at him before he could object and scurrying to the door as fast as she could with her broken leg. She heard him chuckle behind her and that put a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Pixie says: Here's chapter four! Thanks for the review, the faves and the follows. Hope you enjoy this one! I think Kurakichi will make an appearance in about 2 chapters, so keep holding on! Feedback is most welcome!**

She met the boys at the café. They were already fast at work, each one on their own computer, typing away like there was no tomorrow.

Without looking up, Killua said, "Gon, she's back."

"Welcome back, Nikita!" Gon greeted her. Nikita was still giving Killua a weird look. It was creepy how he recognized her without seeing her.

"How's it going?" She asked, grabbing a swivel chair and sitting down next to Gon.

"So-so," he admitted, showing her the page he was on. She couldn't read much, but it almost looked like this world's version of e-bay. "Sorry about before," he apologized, and Nikita was relieved that he brought up the subject by himself. "I wanted to check first to make sure there was nothing sensitive about you that might hurt your feelings," he explained honestly, and Nikita felt her jaw drop slightly. "We were worried there might have been pictures or information about your accident or family, but there weren't any."

"You're too sweet," she told him, smiling at him. Gon seemed glad to have gotten her forgiveness so quickly. "So, did you find anything?"

"I went on the Hunter website that Killua's brother told us about," he told her, bringing up another tab. It looked like some weird social dating game or something. An image of a bar greeted her, complete with a creepily smiling bartender polishing glass. "I didn't find much though," he admitted, and Killua sighed.

"There was some information that we got for free, but one or two pages had a hefty price on them. We don't have that kind of money right now," he told her, almost business-like.

"I see…" Nikita said thoughtfully. She had no idea how this page worked, but if they had to pay huge sums of money for questionable information, well… she didn't want to burden them with that. She could probably find out some other way.

"What we did get, though…," Killua began, pushing Gon aside from his computer and grabbing the mouse.

"Hey!" Gon objected, pointing at Killua's workspace. "You have your own!"

"I don't have a license," Killua said nonchalantly, clicking on the bartender on the screen. It opened up a previous question they had asked and he read the main parts out to her.

"Basically, there have been known incidents of people from 'the outside' coming here. They think it occurs in connection with the presence of powerful Nen, but that's just a guess. Other than that, it just mentions that Hunters are strictly forbidden from having anything to do with 'the outside', though I can imagine not everyone complies," Killua explained, running the cursor over the parts as he read them.

"This doesn't seem very helpful," Nikita said softly, crestfallen.

"Well, now we know that this has happened before. That might mean we can find someone who has been through something similar or met someone from 'the outside'," Killua told her, obviously looking at the bright side of things. True, there was hope, but she still felt a bit helpless.

"What can I do to find them?" she asked, and Killua shrugged.

"Right now, you should be more worried about people finding you," Killua said. "Your aura is like a huge neon sign telling everyone, like, 'Hey! I'm special! Look at me!'"

Nikita tried to hold in a laugh, but Killua noticed and glared at her. "You might attract helpful people, but there's always the chance that dangerous people get interested in your aura," he warned her, and she nodded in all seriousness.

"So, until then, we can work on mastering your nen and teaching you to read!" Gon said brightly, pushing Killua out of the way and taking back his rightful place in front of the computer.

"Training Nen right now wouldn't be a good idea in her condition," Killua chastised Gon. "We can go over the basics orally, but I wouldn't risk trying anything. From what Leorio told us, she lost an incredible amount of life force, and she'll need more than a couple of days to recover."

"Mm, you're right," Gon said, going through some offers on the e-bay like website he was browsing. "Oops…" he whispered.

"Lost another one?" Killua asked expectantly.

"Yes," Gon replied, almost guiltily.

"This isn't getting us very far, is it," Killua sighed, leaning his head back in defeat. "At least we don't have to worry about car racing games anymore," he said, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"No?" Nikita asked, looking at the two boys.

"The game requires Nen users to enter it- like a virtual reality game," Gon told her, though from the way he pronounced 'virtual reality', she wasn't sure he understood what it meant. "So no more driving off cliffs for me!"

Nikita laughed, ruffling Gon's hair. "Glad to hear that. Though I wouldn't mind playing against the two of you sometime in the future, just for fun," she mentioned, and Gon smiled.

"Mm!"

The boys spent a good couple of hours on the computers, researching, trading, and the likes. It didn't seem to be going too well for them, but Nikita admired their perseverance. She stayed with them the whole time, and would have browsed the internet herself if she knew how to _read_ the damn letters.

She had a good time just watching them though. It was moving to see how close they were, despite their petty quarrels. Nikita felt something sting in her chest, but she somehow knew that she had no siblings. She wished she could remember more about her parents though.

By the end of the second hour, they decided to head up. According to Gon, they usually ordered room service for lunch, and if his hunch was right, Leorio was probably waiting for them with food already.

And he was. Leorio seemed to be in a good mood, having done a lot of studying, and a whole trolley of food was waiting for them in the living room.

While Nikita didn't feel as exhausted as before, she could still feel it creeping up on her. She found it difficult to participate in their conversations, but again, just seeing the three boys interact was pleasant enough. Leorio had a short temper, especially when it came to Killua, but she could tell it was never anything serious when they got mad or yelled at each other. Gon was always in the middle, being the pacifier.

At one point, while Nikita was trying to get a good forkful of mashed potatoes and sausages, Killua nudged her in the side.

"Ne, Nikita. Guess how old Leorio is," he asked her cheekily, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw Leorio's face fall.

"Not _this_ game again!" He huffed angrily, shooting daggers at the white-haired voice.

"Uhm," Nikita said, looking from Killua to Leorio in confusion. Gon shot her an apologetic look. "Twenty-five?"

Leorio slapped his own face and Killua broke out into laughter. Gon just sighed.

"It's not that bad of a guess," Gon reasoned, and that earned him a look from Leorio. "Compared to what other people have guessed!" he added in defense.

"I'm NINETEEN!" Leorio emphasized, looking straight at Nikita. "I can't be more than, what, two three years older than you?" he asked, and Nikita nodded, shocked by his young age. He really did look much older.

"Two," she answered. "I'm seventeen."

"Twelve," both Gon and Killua said in unison.

The rest of lunch passed by in relative peace, with the boys talking about some sort of auction and trade market happening in town. When they were done, Leorio put the cart outside the suite and went back to his room to finish studying.

In the meantime, Gon and Killua were discussing how much money they had left. Apparently, the currency here was called Jenny, which sounded extremely strange to Nikita. She made herself comfortable on the couch, with her bad leg stretched out in front of her. The dull ache she had before was almost completely gone, and she wondered if it had already healed or not.

"Ne, maybe we could go over the basics with Nikita first?" Gon said when Killua mentioned they should go to town and get more information on the auction.

Killua sighed, but then shrugged, taking a seat on the carpeted floor of the living room. Gon grinned at Nikita and followed suit.

Gon began with a very vague explanation that had a lot to do with 'gut feelings' and intangible emotional states. Nikita listened but didn't really get anything. Killua noticed her confusion, and in the middle of Gon's monologue, he raised his fist and hit the poor boy on the head.

"You're just confusing her," Killua grunted, crossing his arms. "Let's just go over the four states."

And with that, they began explaining, in unison, the four different states of Nen. Ren, Ten, Zetsu, and Hatsu. They tried to show her the different states as well, but as she couldn't see their aura, it didn't help much.

"We had to shock our bodies to get our Nen going properly, as we were short on time…" Gon explained, and both he and Killua shared an uncomfortable look together.

"But you seem to have gone through that already," Killua said, activating Gyo. He could see her some of her aura leaving her and it did, indeed, look different. Gon saw what Killua was doing and did the same.

"Woah, Nikita's aura looks really cool! Like light is coming out of you!" Gon exclaimed, having not thought of using Gyo before.

"What is it supposed to look like?" Nikita asked unsurely.

"Most people's aura looks like mist, I think," Killua replied. "Not nearly as flashy as yours," he pointed out, and Nikita gave him a bemused look.

"So, did you understand everything?" Gon asked her, and after a few moments, she nodded.

"I think I got the hang of it, theoretically. I just think it'll be difficult to apply it in practice," Nikita explained. "Ten, Ren, Zetsu, Hatsu, right?" she asked, and they both nodded in confirmation. At that, Killua stood up and stretched.

"Well, you'll probably have time to practice when you recover," Killua told her, and Gon stood up as well.

"How long should we wait?" Gon asked Killua, who shrugged.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Guess I'll ask Leorio…" Gon mumbled. "Well, I guess we'll head to town for a bit, Nikita. Do you want to come?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, thanks. I think I need to rest a bit," she told him, feeling positively fatigued at the moment. It wasn't a hazy feeling like the day before, but it was definitely there now. The two boys nodded.

"Leorio will probably stay in till we're back," Gon informed her, "so just let him know if you need anything."

"I'm _sure_ she can survive being alone for a while, Gon," Killua chastised, and Nikita grinned.

"I'm glad you have some faith in me, Killua," she told him and he just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Let's go before it gets too late," he said, and they left, with Gon waving at her before closing the door.

Slowly, Nikita peeled herself off the couch and went to her room after telling Leorio she'd take a nap. The new clothes he'd bought her were still on the bed, and she decided it would be nice to take a shower before changing into something fresher.

And so, she did just that. She was quite happy to use the hotel's complementary shampoo and shower gels, and their towels were extremely nice and fluffy.

Going through her new clothes, she picked a pair of black sweatpants and a long sleeved grey shirt to wear. She washed the clothes the nurse Lisa had given her at the hospital by hand and left them on the towel rack to dry.

Feeling much better after a hot shower, she towel-dried her hair and then crept into her bed, sighing contentedly before curling up on her side and pressing her forehead against the wall. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Reality was unveiled before her in white. The familiar smell of antiseptics filled her nostrils, and in the silence, she felt the missing pieces of her memory come together like a jigsaw puzzle. Her eyes shook as she took in the bright white ceiling, and the sound of two heart monitors beating out of harmony.

She couldn't move her body, but that didn't frighten her. She used her eyes to glance to her left and saw that there was a bed there, and looking down she saw that she was in one herself.

She heard the familiar inhalation and exhalation that belonged to her father- the heavy breathing of a man who had worked hard the whole day. They lived in a tiny house on a ranch, and the walls did not have good sound isolation whatsoever. While he did not snore often, Nikita had fallen asleep countless times to the sound of his breathing, content with another hard day's work with the dogs and other animals.

But he wasn't content this time, and they were not home. They were in a hospital, together. That much she knew. She could feel it in her bones that she was home, in her own world, rather than the strange one with Leorio and the others.

She felt her eyes blur as her body began to give in to sleep once more. Nikita fought the feeling, wanting to hold on to the beeping of the heart monitors and the nostalgic sound of her father sleeping. But she was losing.

In the end, she gave up, satisfied with the fact that he was still alive. He was okay.

They were going to be okay.

Nikita opened her eyes to her dark room at Regent Hotel, and her chest filled with disappointment. One glance at the clock told her she'd been sleeping for quite a while. It was almost two in the morning.

Getting up slowly, she realized that she was shaking. Her eyes felt watery, but she held back tears.

She remembered things now. Everything came flooding back so fast that her head began to ache.

Her father was alive. He was okay.

But she could not, for the life of her, remember what had happened that caused them both to be hospitalized. The doctor had told her it had probably been a car accident, but she drew a blank when she thought of what happened before she ended up on the streets on York Shin.

It took a few minutes before she got the shaking to stop. She rubbed her eyes and decided to grab a glass of water from the kitchen.

Using her crutch, she huddled over to the kitchen. The living room was dark and quiet, and she supposed the boys were sleeping, but then she saw that the kitchen lights were turned on.

The brightness hurt her eyes when she walked in, and it took a few moments for them to adjust to the light. When they did, she saw Killua looking up at her, a lollipop in his mouth and a pen in his hand. He had a piece of paper in front of him that he had been writing on.

"Hey," she greeted him weakly, making her way to the sink and pouring herself a glass of cold water. She drank it all up in one go, and then filled the glass again.

Killua stayed quiet, watching her. She made her way to the table and sat opposite from him, setting the glass down and resting her crutch against the chair next to her.

"You were sleeping for a while," Killua observed, trying to break the silence. Nikita nodded, crossing her arms on the table and resting her forehead against them. "Are you sick?" he asked cautiously, and she shook her head- her forehead rubbing against her arms. "Then why do you look like crap?"

The bluntness of his question caused a giggle to escape Nikita's lips. She tilted her head up and looked at Killua, who had removed the lollipop from his mouth.

"I went back," she told him, almost giddily. Killua wondered if she'd eaten anything funny.

"What?" he demanded sharply, not sure what she meant.

"I went back," she repeated. "I was at home for a bit," she explained. "I heard my dad. He's alive," she added, and Killua shook his head.

"Wait, wait. Start over," he told her, and she did. She told him about her 'dream'. She was sure it hadn't been that- a dream- but she didn't know what else to call it. Killua listened without saying anything, and then tilted his head back when she was done, as if everything was bothersome.

"This doesn't really help your situation here, though, does it?" he asked through his teeth. "So, you remember things now?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I live with my dad on a ranch. He's a dog trainer and runs his own shelter, too," she told him.

"And your mom?" Killua asked, which caught her off-guard. A moment of thinking brought the memory back.

"She died when I was seven," she told him, and then her eyebrows furrowed. "In a car crash. I was with her, but I made it," she said, confused. She was quite happy she hadn't lost both her parents to vehicular accidents.

"Hm," was all Killua said. "Well, at least that means you can get back somehow, ne?" Nikita nodded, taking small sips of water.

"I was almost disappointed when I woke up and was back here," she told him meekly, watching his reaction. He rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, I'm disappointed you came back, too," he told her, but a small smile tugged at his lips showing her that he didn't mean it. She laughed softly, finishing the rest of the water. Her eyes glanced at her cast and she looked back at Killua.

"Hey, how can I get rid of the cast? It feels like my leg's healed already," she said, and Killua put the lollipop back in his mouth and the pen down on the table before standing up. He made his way over to her side of the table, and without a word, Nikita watched as he transformed his fingers into razor-sharp claws- right out of a horror movie.

With one swift motion, he'd cut through the rock hard cast as if it was paper, and Nikita felt the relief of the weight being removed. Still not saying anything, Killua took what was left of her cast and threw it in the bin.

"Better?" he asked, almost pointedly, his voice muffled by the lollipop, and Nikita had to find her voice for a moment.

"Y-yes," she said, and her eyes trailed to his hand, which had gone back to normal. Killua took a seat again and began writing some more things down.

"You should go back to sleep," Killua told her without looking up from his paper. "You look awful."

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically before standing up. Her leg felt so much better without the cast, but she still decided to use the crutch so as not to put too much pressure on it. "What are you going to do?" she asked him, and he shrugged.

"Just making notes of the trades we've done," he informed her, but then his face turned sour. "So far, it's been mostly losses. I don't think this is the way to go."

"Oh," she said, almost stupidly. "Well… I'll see you tomorrow then. Thanks for removing the cast," she added, and made her way back to the room. She saw Killua wave without looking up before she left.

Settling back in her bed, she felt conflicted. She didn't know what her so-called dream was about, and now that the relief over her father's well being wasn't as strong, it troubled her. She also couldn't get the image of Killua's deadly claws out of her head. It took a couple of hours before she finally succumbed to sleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Pixie Says: Here's this week's chapter! It's a little more action-packed towards the end, so yay. Please leave me any comments or feedback you have on the story! Also, Kurapika comes in next chapter, so you have that to look forward to next Wednesday! *wink***

* * *

The next morning, she woke up bright and early. She didn't feel completely rested, but sleep had left her and she knew she wouldn't be able to get it back no matter how hard she tried. So, instead of staying in bed, she decided to be productive.

It didn't take long after she'd been to the bathroom that Killua knocked on the door, having heard the tap water running. He told her that breakfast was on the table- this time in the form of omelettes.

"Would you help me stretch today again?" she asked him innocently, and she heard him try to hold back a groan. Just like the day before, he closed the door and made his way towards her. She decided to try to keep her pants on this time, though.

He watched her as she stretched her upper body, sighing every now and then out of boredom. "Did you find anything else out about your dream?" he asked her out of the blue, and she shook her head.

"No. Nothing happened when I went to bed after I saw you," she informed him, and he nodded, stepping up to help her as she sank to the floor with her legs on either side of her. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Gon and I are going to town," he told her absent-mindedly. "Leorio's staying in. He said he'd help you study," Killua added the last line as an afterthought as he helped her up halfway, only to set her down again, this time with her legs out in front and behind her.

"Study?" she asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"You can't read, right? It would be bothersome to read everything out loud to you," he told her, his voice borderline sour. He helped her up again, and to his surprise, she did a handstand within two seconds of her standing on her own.

"Sounds good," she told him, her voice muffled by her shirt, which hung over her lips.

"Why are you even doing this?" Killua asked, obviously not amused with her little show.

"I used to be a gymnast," she informed him, voice still slightly muffled. "Back home, I mean," she added, exhaling sharply to remove the shirt from her mouth. Slowly, she bent one leg back down carefully- her good leg-, and once she felt steady enough, she put her broken one down, too. "I think my leg's almost healed," she told him, grinning. She twisted her body backwards, bridging her back as her hands touched the ground, and with a slight push, she made her legs swing over her head in a full back flip.

"Don't push yourself," Killua grunted, barely batting an eye at her antics. He didn't understand why she was in such a good mood today, not after the state she'd come into the kitchen in last night. "You'll end up doing something stupid to your leg. Now come on, breakfast is getting cold."

Killua made his way to the kitchen, and Nikita followed him, her crutch still under her arm just in case. It would be very unlucky if she fell and broke her leg once again, but she felt that she'd only need another day to heal completely.

Gon and Leorio were in the kitchen, chatting animatedly about fundraising ideas while the younger boy sipped from his orange juice glass.

"Morning, Nikita!" Gon greeted loudly when he saw her walk in after Killua. Nikita almost flinched at the sudden increase in volume.

"Morning," she replied, smiling at Gon and Leorio. "So, I hear you have something planned for me today?" she started as she took her seat beside Gon, making eye contact with Leorio.

"Mhm," he grinned, pushing forward a stack of papers he'd probably gotten printed out for him at the library. "We're starting with the basics- the syllabary."

Nikita glanced over at the strange looking characters. She wasn't very good with languages. Back home, her French was barely mediocre even though she'd studied it for 6 years. She had no idea how long it would take to learn the writing system here. However, she seemed to understand the language perfectly, so that would cut down on learning time immensely.

"I thought it would be a good idea for you to write down the pronunciation of the characters in your own language, and then start some self-study there. I'd like to help you out more, but I have a bunch of assignments that need to be handed in by the end of this week," Leorio explained, seeming almost apologetic.

Nikita shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. "No, no. That's a great idea. And you're already doing so much!" she told him, and he seemed to be happy with her response. With that, Nikita dug into the omelette in front of her. She wanted to call it a 'Spanish' omelette, but she didn't know what this world's Spanish counterpart was.

It had potatoes and mushrooms in it, anyway.

"Ne, Leorio, I didn't know you could cook," Gon pointed out.

"He definitely didn't look it at the exam's second phase," Killua added snidely, and Leorio huffed.

"I got tired of eating take-out all the time. College does crazy things to you," Leorio told them indignantly.

"Well, I think it's really good," Nikita told him truthfully, and that had him beaming brightly for ages.

The boys were out almost immediately after breakfast, and Nikita insisted on doing ALL the dishes this time, much to Leorio's amusement. After a brief argument, he let her handle the cleaning up while he went to take a shower.

"Don't even try to peek!" he warned her, jokingly, and Nikita couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. Was he serious?

When she was done, Nikita dried her hands and grabbed the papers from the kitchen table before making her way to the living room. She made herself comfortable on the couch, going through the different pages. Leorio joined her soon after, and Nikita scrunched her nose in protest of the intense after-shave he put on.

"Deal with it," he retorted, before settling himself down on the couch with as much grace as an elephant wearing stilettos.

Nikita rolled her eyes, before accepting a pen Leorio held out for her. He also gave her a book to use as support when she wrote.

"So, the most common language used here has a syllabary," Leorio began. "Each character stands for a syllable. So, let's go over the vowel sounds first…"

And with that, Nikita's first lesson in this crazy world's language began.

The day passed in a blur of notes and books meant for children aged 5 to 8. Leorio called room service again for lunch, but that was the only pause they both got out of studying. Nikita saw that Leorio was studying the reproductive system and everything that went with that, and she cringed in memory of what her high school biology lesson on the subject entailed.

Taking the subject at college level must be hell.

At around five in the evening, the two boys burst into the living room, arguing incoherently over something.

"IT SAID NEXT WEEK!" Killua yelled adamantly and Gon stomped his foot.

"It was THIS Thursday! I'm sure of it!" Gon replied, and Killua rolled his eyes.

"We all know how good you are with numbers, Gon," Killua chided, apparently hitting a sore spot. "You sure you read them right this time?"

"What's going on?" Leorio asked with a sigh, pushing his glasses up as he watched the two boys. "Do you really need to make such a ruckus the second you walk through the door?"

"There's a trading market next week," Killua began and shot Gon a glare when he opened his mouth to protest. "Gon and I saw the same sign, yet he miraculously read it's happening this week."

"Only one way to check, then!" Gon huffed. "I'm going downstairs!" and with that, Gon left once again, probably to do an online search at the internet café.

"I was actually about to call you boys and ask if you could bring take out," Leorio admitted, scratching the back of his head. Killua just gave Leorio a look.

"I can go," Nikita volunteered, standing up and stretching. "I've been cooped up in this hotel for two days, I think some fresh air would be good. And maybe I can see the city up close for once," she laughed, but Leorio seemed hesitant.

"I can't let you go alone, though," Leorio told her.

"You'd probably get lost," Killua agreed, and the two stared at each other for a while, as though debating who should go. "Gon will probably hide downstairs for a while until he gets over his embarrassment over being wrong," he stated plainly.

"And I need to study," Leorio informed him. It was almost a challenge. Was it really that horrifying for one of them to accompany her outside? Nikita thought.

"Fine!" Killua huffed, marching up to Leorio and extending a hand while looking the other way. "You're treating though," he said indignantly, and Leorio chuckled before giving the boy some cash.

"Anything in particular?" Nikita asked mildly, grabbing her crutch.

"I'm fine with anything. Anything but pizza," he added before Killua could make a suggestion. That seemed to shut him up.

And with that, the two made their way out of the suite and into the elevator.

York Shin was a calm, spirited city during the day, but the real bustle of life only appeared after sunset. Nikita was surprised by the density of people out on the streets. She came from a small town and lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, and her minor trips downtown were nothing compared to this.

They found a Chinese (or its counterpart here) restaurant in a quieter back street and ordered four different dishes to take away. Killua also insisted on the fried, sugar-glazed bananas. He seemed to have quite the sweet tooth.

Nikita held the bag with the deserts in one hand, her crutch in the other, while Killua had a bag in each hand. She walked closer to the road, since the pavement seemed a bit more even on the side.

She knew it was instinctive, and she hated herself for that, but her eyes kept making their way to his hands- constantly checking that he had normal fingers and not horrific claws.

On the third glance, Killua sighed and rolled his head over to her side, giving her a bemused expression.

"Are you _that_ bothered by it?" he asked her, seeming almost bored.

Nikita was quiet for a while, ashamed for being caught staring and unsure of how to answer.

"Mm…" she began, thinking over her reply. "It's not that I'm bothered," she told him, picking her words carefully. "I guess it's more being intrigued by it? I haven't seen anything like it. Though I have to admit, I was a bit scared last night. I thought I'd gotten used to all the weird shit this world was throwing at me, but I guess I was wrong."

Killua hummed quietly, before stretching his hands behind his head, the bags dangling carelessly.

"I come from a family of assassins," Killua told her, and he noticed her eyes widened slightly, but not for more than a couple of seconds. "I don't want to get in the family business, though," he told her, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Gon made sure of that."

Nikita was moved by what he said, but couldn't find anything to say. Instead, she stopped walking and freed her hand from her crutch, ruffling his hair.

"Oi! Cut that out!" Killua yelled, obviously embarrassed by the public display of affection. He huffed, before stomping away a few meters in front of her. His expression clearly told her he didn't want to be seen with her at the moment.

Chuckling, Nikita prepared herself to walk again when she felt something whizz past her leg in a red blur. Startled, she saw something hit Killua, who stopped and cursed.

"The hell?" he mumbled, bending down to check the back of his leg when it suddenly hit him.

A feathered red dart was embedded into his leg. The realization smacked him like a brick, but by the time he looked up it was too late. A speeding black van swerved dangerously close to the pavement. In a split second, the doors opened and two pairs of lean, muscular arms grabbed Nikita, hauling her onto the vehicle while it was still moving.

Killua had reacted too late. His hand had been millimeters away from hers, but that was enough. He heard the deafening sound of her crutch and their plastic bags as they felt to the ground, their dinner spilling all over the sidewalk.

"No, no, no," Killua repeated calmly, not believing what had happened. He quickly pulled out the dart imbedded in his leg, and saw that the needle had been coated with something. Poison. A quick sniff told him that it was one of the more lethal ones out there- enough to kill a grown man in minutes.

Good thing he was immune.

His mind sprang into action as he picked up her crutch and ran to the hotel, sprinting as fast as he could. He took out his phone and speed dialed Gon's number.

"I don't want to talk about it," Gon answered, obviously not happy about being wrong about the date.

"Idiot, forget about that!" Killua shouted, adrenaline soaring high. "Nikita… Nikita's in trouble," he told him.

"What happened?" Gon asked, concerned and ready to act.

"Are you at the internet café?" Killua asked, momentarily ignoring his friend's question.

"Yes."

"Good. Stay there and call Leorio. I saw the van's license plate. We can look it up on the Hunter website," he said, both to himself and Gon. "Nikita's been kidnapped."


	6. Chapter 6

**Pixie says: Here's the next installment in the Friendly Fire story. Kurapika finally makes an appearance. Warning: There's some violence/blood here. Enjoy! (And please review!?)**

* * *

The darkly lit hall was packed with people and the stench of sweat and smoke was abundant. It was another day on the job, but this night was really getting on Kurapika's nerve.

Many underground networks were holding auctions for black market items, with the earliest beginning two weeks before and slowly building up to the big one- the very reason why he was in York Shin city to begin with.

As his employers were avid flesh collectors, a number of the newly recruited body guards were sent off to these back alley auctions in the hopes of attaining something of interest for Neon Nostrade. So far, however, all items had been of no such interest- ancient artifacts from long lost civilizations, weapons and jewellery that had been stolen from the greatest smiths and tombs around the world, and the like. Neon was not interested in any of this. No, she wanted something organic.

Senritsu, Kurapika's partner, stared at his pocket in quiet interest as the auction proceeded. While he had his phone on silent mode, she could still hear the vibrations it emitted.

"Someone seems desperate to get in touch with you," she noted quietly, nodding in the direction of his phone. "That was the seventeenth phone call."

"I'm working. I'm making an effort not to take personal calls on the job," Kurapika replied coldly, taking a step back in disgust from the large, sweaty man that swayed in front of him.

"If you are worried about me tattling, know that I have no such interest," Senritsu informed him, and Kurapika glanced at her sideways, before focusing back to the stage where a hand-made 12th century blade was being auctioned off.

Only moments later, his phone buzzed briefly, signaling a message. Sighing in irritation, Kurapika took out his phone and flipped it open. To his surprise, it was a message from Leorio. And yes, Senritsu had been right. He, Gon, and Killua had called him a total of seventeen times.

Sighing once again, Kurapika opened his inbox.

'Please pick up. Someone's life is in danger.' read the brief message. Kurapika wondered whose life it could possibly be since the three of them seemed well enough to call him.

Before he could put his phone back in his pocket, it started buzzing again and Kurapika saw that it was an incoming call from Killua.

Anger swelled up inside him, mostly since he was about to break his own rule of not answering the phone on the job, but in the end, he relented and accepted the call.

He didn't have a chance to put the phone to his ear when Killua's voice blared through it.

"FINALLY!"

"Killua," Kurapika acknowledged bluntly. "I'm working. Make this quick." From the corner of his eyes, he saw Senritsu smile knowingly. He did not like that.

"We heard you're working for an underground avid collector, right?" Killua asked, and Kurapika was surprised to hear the urgency in his voice.

"That's correct," Kurapika confirmed.

"Are you in York Shin now?"

"I am."

"Good. Are there any auctions going on over the next few days?" Killua asked, and Kurapika sighed.

"Yes. There are two happening right now. I'm at one of them and some colleagues are at another. May I ask what this is about?" Kurapika asked, getting impatient.

"A friend got kidnapped," Killua said, making Kurapika's eyebrows shoot up. "We tracked the van's license plate to man named Jens Miller. He's into human trafficking, especially auctions," Killua explained.

"The auctions being held today will probably not be of interest to him, then," Kurapika replied bluntly. "I can keep an eye out and contact you if I hear anything."

"Kurapika-" Killua was about to start, but his phone got snatched away and Leorio spoke instead.

"Listen, Kurapika. She's probably really vulnerable right now. This guy is into Relays, so he'll probably make some quick cash before getting her back," Leorio explained, and Kurapika had to massage his temples to ease the headache coming on.

Having spent a while with the Nostrades, he was familiar with Relays- where goods were sold at preliminary auctions before being stolen back and sold elsewhere for higher prices. It was not a risk-free approach to auctions, which was why not many people used it, but if this guy did then Kurapika could understand why they were interested in today's auctions.

"Fine. I'll keep an eye out and inform my colleagues. How will I know it's her?" Kurapika asked, and he heard Leorio sigh in relief.

"Her nen will probably be activated. You'll probably recognize her by it. It's something abnormal," Leorio told him, which made Kurapika furrow his eyebrows in confusion. Was that all he could say?

"Her name?" Kurapika asked, not really sure how to take in this new information.

"Nikita. Please keep us informed. Good luck. And thank you so, so much," Leorio said, and Kurapika nodded to himself.

"I will," and with that he hung up, placing the phone back in his pocket with a huff. He looked to his side and saw Senritsu looking at him with wide, concerned eyes. Silently, she took out her own cellular device. "I'll inform Basho," she told him and he nodded in thanks, knowing very well that her sensitive ears had picked up everything.

Kurapika sighed once more, before crossing his arms and staring straight ahead at the monotonous auction taking place before him.

Two hours crawled by and the few lights that were on were being dimmed, signaling the end of the auction.

Nothing of interest had appeared for the two Nostrade employees, nor had they heard or seen anything about this girl that Kurapika's friends had called about.

Just as he was about to call Leorio and inform of the lack of progress, the stage lights turned back on and a man with graying hair stepped up. Much to Kurapika's surprise, a few people began clapping and cheering, and the few that had managed to file out made their way back into the hall.

"Hello, York Shin!" The man said, laughing at his own joke. "We have one more item for you, tonight- a last minute addition, if you will," he began, and Kurapika felt a knot form in his stomach. Senritsu heard his heartbeat quicken, but she didn't need to ask why. She was thinking the same thing.

"You promised to visit me last week!" A man from the audience shouted, causing much hearty laughter among the older men around him.

"I'm a busy man, Mr. Sherlot!" the guy informed, smiling at the audience member who had spoken. "And I have been even busier just to get this gem up here," he continued, winking.

"As most of you know, I don't only do house calls nowadays. I've started my own private practice at a hospital, and I got the most unusual guest visit me just days ago," the man began his story as he paced across the stage. Kurapika didn't feel like he was at an auction house anymore; it felt more like a stand-up comedy show than anything else, though none of the things others laughed at remotely amused him.

"Kurapika," Senritsu whispered, tugging at his sleeve in order for him to lean close to her. "I hear them talking. Apparently, that's Dr. Matts. He's well-known for being the family doctor of a number of mob groups," Senritsu explained. "I also hear a terrifying heartbeat backstage."

Kurapika nodded before resuming his attention back to the Doctor.

"I know that many of you are out there fighting your battles, or sending hired arms to do the dirty work for you," again, he sent a wink to a particular man who laughed heartily. "So, I think this will be a great benefit for one of you to have."

With that, a burly man with wide arms and an almost bursting neck brought in a girl on a wheel chair. The first thing that Kurapika noticed were her eyes. They were blank, devoid of any emotion. Though they were wide open and staring at the wooden floor in front of her, he knew she wasn't registering anything.

"Her heartbeat is calm. Frighteningly calm," Senritsu said in a hushed whisper. Remembering what Leorio said, Kurapika activated Gyo and was taken aback by what he saw.

The girl emitted rays of blinding light that reached several meters around her. He heard Senritsu gasp as she saw the same thing.

Kurapika snatched out his phone and took a picture before sending it to Leorio's number. "Is that her?" he asked in the accompanying message.

It didn't take more than two seconds before Leorio called him.

"That's her," Leorio told him, almost frantically. "Is she okay?"

"I can't say anything for sure," Kurapika told him bluntly. "How much money do you have?"

Leorio asked the boys and told him the sum- a number that amounted to a few dozen million Jenny.

"I can lend some of my funds if the bidding exceeds your limit," Kurapika told him, and Leorio was about to burst in thank-yous. "Don't thank me yet. I need to win, first."

"We'll leave you to it," Leorio told him, and Kurapika hung up again.

Dr. Matts was still making small talk, but he slowly began approaching the girl. "To prove this to you, I will demonstrate live- before your very own eyes." Kurapika had missed out the interlude that lead to this part because of the phone call, but he had a bad feeling about this demonstration.

The man who had wheeled her in placed a weird, box-like machine around one of the girl's lower legs. Instantly, one of the projectors that allowed the audience members in the back to see what was going on onstage turned black and was replaced with what looked like a radiograph of the girl's leg.

"This is something I made," he told the audience proudly. "Think of it like an X-ray video. Can you see the faint fracture on her tibia?" he asked, pointing at the thin line on the projector screen. Wordlessly, the large man beside the girl grabbed her knee with one hand foot with the other. The doctor, almost giddily, placed his microphone close to the girl's leg.

CRACK.

Senritsu's hands flew up to either side of her head as she heard the sickening sound of bones breaking. Kurapika's eyes widened as the screen showed the cleanly broken bone. On the wheelchair, the girl remained silent, her mouth merely opening slightly in surprise.

The room was silent, in shock and anticipation. Slowly, an audible sound of admiration waded through the room as the screen showed something impossible. As the seconds passed, the broken bone was repairing itself at an insanely fast pace.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Dr. Matts told the audience, reluctantly turning his gaze from the screen. "'But Rojai, how will this help me?" you may ask, and you're right. So I'll demonstrate something else."

Out of one pocket, the doctor pulled out a switchblade. Wordlessly, he pressed the blade to his open palm and sliced his flesh deep. Blood poured out on the stage floor, and he held up his hand to show the audience what he had done- like a stage magician trying to prove that no illusions were taking place.

He turned towards the dissociated girl and held his bloody hand out to her. He frowned when he realized that she was too far in shock to react to him, so he pressed his bleeding hand against her shoulder instead.

A few seconds later, he pulled it back, wiped away the smears of blood with a handkerchief from his breast-pocket, and held up his hand to the audience once again. The cut was completely healed.

"She's using too much of her life force," Senritsu whispered, concerned over the poor girl's well-being. Kurapika knew it was true. The light around her was flowing out endlessly with no restriction. Too much time passing in this state would mean her certain death.

"Now, she's been drained of most energy," the doctor told the audience, cleaning his blade before putting it and his handkerchief back in his pockets. "Like milking a snake from its poison," he laughed. "She won't need too much maintenance, but we suggest constantly breaking a bone or two to ensure that her energy is spent fixing herself and you, and not in recovering," he told the audience, smiling so genuinely that it made Kurapika sick with anger.

With a flourish, Dr. Matts took a bow and the regular auction host made his way on stage, but not before half the hall erupted in clapping and whistles.

"Now, then." The host began, looking at a piece of paper and holding up his gavel. "Bid starts at one million Jenny. Do I hear one million out there?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Pixie says: Hello! Here's the seventh chapter! Thanks for the review, faves, and follows! You'll be seeing a bit more of Kurapika from here on out ;] Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Kurapika understood that this Relay plan had not been carefully thought out. Not many of these minor underground characters wanted to have anything with human trafficking to do, whatever form it came in, so the competition against him to get this girl, Leorio's friend, was quite low. However, they did end up earning over 29 million jenny, for this round, so it didn't all go to waste.

He sighed as he texted the amount to Leorio, who was lightning quick in transferring the money to Kurapika. The auction hall's lights were dimmed again, and Kurapika made his way backstage with Senritsu on his heels.

He found the girl sitting down on the ground with her back resting against the wooden wall. She was visibly shaking from shock, the cold, and over exertion, but no one from the auction crew paid her any mind. She was a commodity among commodities- not a living thing in their eyes. This realization made Kurapika's stomach twist with rage and disgust.

Before he and Senritsu could get to her, however, they were intercepted by the host.

"Congrats on your winning bid, sir," the man said with a false smile plastered on his face. "If you'd be so kind as to transfer the money to this account, you will be able to pick up your item."

Kurapika clenched his hands into fists when he heard how casual the host was. He kept his poker face on, however, and merely accepted the paper the host had offered him. He quickly transferred the money to the account, and the host's phone gave a satisfying buzz after a few moments.

"Thank you for your co-operation. We hope to see you again at the next auction," the man said, before gesturing towards the girl and bowing slightly. He then disappeared to deal with the next winning bidder.

The girl continued to stare blankly at the ground as Kurapika and Senritsu approached. Senritsu's face twisted in concern as she saw the girl's shaking and nearly lifeless form.

Kurapika gently got down on one knee in order to be at her eye-level, but the girl didn't move. She didn't seem very aware of anything.

"Kurapika- she's going into shock," Senritsu told him softly and he nodded.

"Nikita," he began, his voice soft, calm, but authoritative. "My name is Kurapika. This is my colleague, Senritsu. I am friends with Leorio. We're going to help you get home."

At the mention of Leorio's name, Nikita slowly lifted her head up to meet Kurapika's gaze. He saw now that she had been badly beaten up, but layers of make up had been used to cover it up. Her already fuller than normal lips were swollen and split, and he could see the faint hints of a contusion starting up around her right eye.

"Can you lessen your aura? You're draining yourself out," he asked her, but she shook her head very slowly. Frustrated, Kurapika sighed before dialing Leorio's number on his phone.

Within seconds, a freakishly hyper Leorio had answered, demanding to know if she was okay and what was going on. Kurapika had to hold the phone away from his ears to spare himself from the hearing damage Leorio would have given him. Senritsu chuckled softly.

"Leorio," Kurapika answered evenly. "Her aura won't stop flowing. What should we do?" he asked, and Leorio was very quick to reply.

"Give her the phone."

Kurapika did as he was told, pressing the phone against Nikita's ears gently. She didn't seem startled by the sudden touch.

"Nikita, are you okay?..." Leorio began to talk to her, and Kurapika was surprised to see tears well up in her eyes. They began to flow continuously as she listened to his voice.

"Leorio," she choked, her tears falling on her filthy sweat pants and soaking a circle on the material. "I'm so s-sorry," she stammered, and her eyes widened in sudden realization. "I-I think I k-killed some of th-them…I didn't mean it, b-but-"

Leorio cut her off almost immediately. "Nikita. We have to focus on getting you home first, okay? We can talk about what happened when we see each other. See the blond know-it-all next to you?" Kurapika didn't even flinch at that. "He's my friend. He'll take good care of you till you're back here. But we need to get your aura in order first, alright? Remember the first time I met you? We went through a guided relaxation together, right? Let's do that again. So, close your eyes…"

Kurapika and Senritsu watched as Nikita's breathing became less rough and her shaking diminished, but did not stop completely. They witnessed her aura get sucked back into her body. However, as soon as she had accomplished this, Nikita's head rolled onto the side and she lost consciousness.

The drive to Regent Hotel, where Leorio and the others were staying, was uncomfortably silent, thought Senritsu. The frustrated heartbeats of her colleague starkly contrasted that of their passenger sprawled over the backseats. Hers were soft and desperate, and the girl's gasping was only amplified in the silence. It seemed that even though she had collapsed from shock and exhaustion half an hour ago, her body still hadn't recovered enough to stop her heavy breathing.

"This was a ridiculous detour," Kurapika said gruffly after a few more minutes of silence, and Senritsu sighed deeply in relief.

"It was your idea to drive her to them," Senritsu noted.

"I don't want them having anything to do with my work. Plus, if they saw us with them, it would have been risky. They might have been associated as body guards alongside us, making them an unnecessary target," Kurapika replied, still gruff as he made a sharp turn.

Senritsu saw him steal a glance at Nikita through the rearview mirror. And his heartbeat changed pace.

"Hmm?" Senritsu asked, motioning for him to speak his mind.

Kurapika sighed, yet again. "I haven't had much contact with them, so I don't know when she showed up. It just feels strange to hear all three of them fuss over her like that," Kurapika told Senritsu, knowing that it was pointless to lie or keep quiet. She'd get the gist sooner or later.

"She does seem special to them. Not to mention, her aura was something extraordinary," Senritsu agreed.

"Yes. But something feels off. I'm worried that this might be a trap of some sort," Kurapika added, and Senritsu furrowed her eyebrows.

"I didn't detect any hint of deception in her heartbeat. Then again, I didn't ask her directly, but she seemed genuinely relieved and happy when she heard your friend's voice on the phone," Senritsu told him, and Kurapika shrugged.

"We're almost there. Let's just get this over with as soon as possible and head back to the boss."

Within a minute, Kurapika had parked the car in front of the hotel. He saw Leorio's figure sprint through the doors to greet them. Before Kurapika could even step out of the car properly, he was bombarded by questions.

"Kurapika, it's good to see you. How is she? Is she hurt? What happened?" Leorio asked, breathless from his sprint from his suite.

Kurapika sighed softly before opening the door to the backseat. Leorio's breathing hitched as he saw her frail body over the seats.

"Her tibia has been rebroken," Kurapika stated plainly. "And her immense aura has had a negative toll on her body. She's fatigued and will need a few days to recuperate physically. I don't know about the extent of emotional damage though."

Leorio gave Kurapika a sad smile. "Rebroken? They did this to her? You'll have to tell me everything, but let's get her inside first. As for emotional trauma- don't worry. She's strong. She'll pull through." And with that, he ducked his head into the car and took the girl into his arms. The sudden tactile sensations were enough to pry Nikita out of her desperate rest. She opened her eyes slightly and was met with the bespectacled gaze of Leorio.

"Leorio…" she said softly, her voice wavering slightly with exhaustion. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around dazedly.

"We're getting you back into the hotel room now. Climb on my back," he instructed her, turning around. She didn't hesitate to put her weak arms around his neck and he hoisted her up, being careful with her leg. Kurapika and Senritsu watched as she buried her face against his back, tears of relief quietly flowing out of her.

Just as Leorio was about to make his way into the hotel lobby, a familiar figure came dashing out to greet them.

"Mr. Paladiknight! Nikita!" Seif's voice called out, his eyes wide at the scene. Two dangerous looking people, along with a concerned Leorio and a broken Nikita did not seem like a good thing.

"Seif, it's alright-" Leorio began, but before he could continue, an authoritative Kurapika stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Sir, everything's under control and taken care of. Please do not get yourself involved," Kurapika told him, and Seif's eyes widened as he glanced from Kurapika to Leorio.

In the midst of the haze of her fatigue, Nikita managed to open her eyes and meet his gaze. She smiled softly, in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Seif, it's fine. I just hurt my leg again. I'll be alright by tomorrow," she told him, and he couldn't help but gulp down his words at the sound of her voice. He had no idea what was going on, but if Nikita was with Leorio, she should be safe. So, he nodded and stepped back, allowing the four of them to head inside.

On the way, Senritsu gave him the key to their car and smiled apologetically. "She's in good hands," she told him, and he nodded again.

The ride up the elevator was quiet and tense, with everyone focusing on the sound of Nikita's laboured breaths. The ring sounded as the elevator door opened, and Leorio led them through the red-carpeted corridors to the suite he had rented.

A second after opening the door, Killua had taken a hold of Nikita and put her onto his back so swiftly, the action could barely be seen. Without a hello, he made his way to her room. Nikita was startled by the sudden change in movement, but when she opened her eyes and saw pure white hair, she drifted peacefully to sleep, knowing that she was still safe.

Kurapika and Senritsu stared after the boy as Gon stepped into view. "Sorry about that. Hello, Kurapika! Long time no see!" He then turned to the shorter woman beside him. "I'm Gon," he introduced. "And that was Killua."

"Senritsu," she bowed her head slightly before staring after the boy again. His heartbeat was troubling her.

Sighing, Leorio made his way to the coffee table and ushered them all to sit. He poured himself a glass of wine and offered the two visitors. Kurapika politely declined, while Senritsu took him up on his offer.

"I think Killua feels slightly responsible for the whole thing. I'll have a look at her when he's done settling her in," Leorio explained, which had Kurapika raise an eyebrow.

"Responsible how, exactly?" he asked.

"He was with her when she was kidnapped. They took her right under his nose after distracting him with a poisoned dart. I don't think he's at fault, but that doesn't change the way he's thinking." Leorio sipped at his glass, before running a hand through his hair. "So, who should begin?" Leorio asked, and both Senritsu and Kurapika shared a glance.

"Perhaps it would be wisest if you start," Senritsu suggested. "To begin at the beginning."

Killua tried to lay Nikita down as gently as possible onto her bed. She didn't stir, so he took it as a good sign, though in retrospect it could have meant that she was so out of it, she wouldn't have felt him banging her head with a hammer.

He turned on the night lamp by the bed and was surprised by what he saw up close. Nikita was sprawled on the bed, her long dark brown hair escaping her bun in messy locks over the pillow. He saw that make up had been used to cover up the beating she had received, but some of it had begun to fade with time and sweat, revealing bruises and split, swollen lips. Quietly, he made his way to the bathroom and wet a small towel, before returning to her side.

He was aware of how fast his heart was beating with relief. She had been placed under his care, and he had failed to protect her when she needed him most. He began to softly wipe away most of the make up from her face and neck, and his breath hitched as more and more evidence of her abuse was revealed. He knew that by tomorrow they would be gone, but that didn't stop the anger seeping into his chest.

He knew that her leg was broken again, from the angle that it stuck out in as she lay on the bed. Silently, he formed a plan in his head. They would not get away with this so easily.

As Leorio finished his story, Kurapika and Senritsu retold the events of the evening. Leorio's face contorted with rage at the mention of how they had snapped her leg in half again, but Gon was caught up with something else.

"What did you say the man was called?" Gon asked, when they were done.

"He was a doctor. I don't recall his first name, but his last name was Matts," Kurapika answered, and Gon gave Leorio a pointed look.

"Could it be Rojai Matts?" Leorio asked tentatively, and Senritsu nodded immediately.

"Yes, that was it," she told them.

"I'll be heading out," Killua's voice suddenly called from behind them. Everyone turned to look at him, but his eyes were hidden under his hair. "I've got some… errands to run," Killua said ominously.

"Want me to come with you?" Gon offered, but Killua shook his head.

"No, thanks. I'll take care of this on my own." He made his way to the door. "She's asleep. I wiped most of the make up off of her, but I couldn't do anything about her leg."

"I'll take care of that," Leorio said, and with that, Killua was off.

"I almost feel sorry for the doctor now," Gon said gingerly at the prospect of what Killua was about to do to him.

"He had it coming," Leorio replied shortly, angry at the fact that a doctor, someone he had trusted, who had been in the same line of business that Leorio hoped to be in one day, had done such a thing.

"Leorio," Kurapika began sharply, leaning over and touching his fingers together in thought. "Are you sure you are doing the right thing? You are a hunter now, both you and Gon, and Killua is a member of an elite family of assassins. These are grounds enough for someone to try to infiltrate you and gain your trust, only to stab you in the back later."

"I've had that in my mind," Leorio said, smiling softly. "But I don't think she's capable of that. I am relying on my gut and that of Gon's. If he doesn't sense anything wrong, then I trust him. Killua has also taken a liking to her, and he's the most suspecting of us," Leorio explained.

"Gut instinct is not a good way to justify your trust in this girl. A good spy could easily fake conditions such as these," Kurapika countered.

"But what about her aura?" Gon asked innocently. "It's different. We think she might be from another world. I've never seen or heard anything like it before."

"You haven't been a nen practitioner for long," Kurapika tried to joke with a smile, but it fell short. "I can't come up with a good explanation for her aura, but what I'm trying to say is that you should keep your guard up. You've already lost money because of her. Don't lose anything else- especially your lives- trying to protect her."

"Are you suggesting that this whole auction could have been staged?" Leorio asked, incredulously.

"It's plausible. So keep your eyes open," Kurapika warned them. Just then, his phone began to buzz and he cursed as he got up. "Excuse me," he said bluntly, before making his way to the kitchen.

"I guess I should go bind her leg," Leorio said, and Senritsu stood up with him.

"I'll help," she said, and he smiled kindly at her offer.

In her bedroom, Leorio tried to bind her broken leg to the best of his abilities without a cast. Senritsu helped him as much as she could.

"He worries for his friends, even if he might seem a bit… aggressive with his warnings," Senritsu told Leorio, and he smiled slightly, knowing she was referring to Kurapika.

"He has changed, but I'm glad to hear he still cares. I haven't heard from him in a while," Leorio said softly.

"He's been busy with his personal affairs, this job being one of them," she told him, and he nodded.

"Can't stop him once he's gotten his head in, eh?"

Just then, a light tap was heard from the door and they both turned to see Kurapika standing there, looking slightly pissed off.

"The boss wants us to stay here for a while," Kurapika stated bluntly.

"Why?" Senritsu asked, and Kurapika had to stop the urge of rolling his eyes over the boss's reasoning.

"He's into solving problems that don't exist whereas I prefer preventing them. He thinks it's a good idea to stay here since we're between them and the airport, as well as the desert. If something were to happen, we could react quicker than the rest."

"I see…" Senritsu said. "Then, I could go down and rent a room," she said, as she began to stand up.

"Or…" Leorio suggested, nicking his head at the two beds on the opposite wall of Nikita's room. "This might be safer for you guys, right? We have two empty beds anyway, if you don't mind sharing with Nikita, and you won't have to use your names to book any rooms. More economical, too," He said, and the two of them shared a glance.

"I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into-" Kurapika began but Leorio scoffed.

"Oh, please, I've been stuck with those boys for barely two weeks and we've gotten ourselves into heaps of trouble. Not to mention people might be looking for Nikita and others like her. I don't think you're even able to make life more difficult for us than it already is."

Kurapika didn't like his argument, but he knew it would be safer not to use their names, especially since both he and Senritsu were new recruits of the Nostrade family. Their names and descriptions were not up on the Hunter website yet, and he would like to keep it like that for as long as possible.

"Fine," Kurapika sighed. "Senritsu, what do you say?"

"I think it's a splendid idea."

And so it was done.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello! Sorry I didn't update last week. Had a rough time and had to take a break after being put on suicide watch. But I'm back now and here's the next chapter! Thanks for the review and all the faves and follows. It really makes me happy! Big hugs!

* * *

Killua tried not to smirk as he made his way to the elevator in Regent Hotel. He was pleased to see that he hadn't lost his touch, and had accomplished his goals with minimum violence.

He found Dr. Matts in his luxurious apartment downtown. After a phonecall to his brother, Milluki, just to ensure that Dr. Matts wasn't an ally of sorts, and in exchange for a rare figma, Killua entered the apartment and got to work.

Within ten minutes, he had managed to scare the living out of the doctor and retrieved the money from him, including the cost for Nikita's broken leg, twice over. He could have gotten more money to help Gon out with his game, but he knew Gon wouldn't accept that kind of aid.

Killua had threatened the doctor with his life if he went after Nikita again. He didn't want to hurt him unnecessarily, that part of himself he was trying to put behind him, but he did do a little damage to show him he meant it.

Dr. Matts seemed more than willing to co-operate with Killua, and Killua knew that he would make a run for his life the next day. Their paths wouldn't cross again in the near future.

But, the doctor had said something unsettling. As he lay there, broken and bleeding from some minor wounds, the assassin remembered how the doctor had looked at Killua and gulped. "I can promise I won't go after her. But if someone else does, you have to believe me it's not any of my people," he pleaded, and Killua glared at him.

"Explain," he ordered, and the doctor took a few shaky breaths to calm himself down.

"The girl caught some people's eyes. I don't know who they are, just that they work in the energy business. I heard they're interested in her," he told the assassin. "I swear I don't have any more details. I would have given them to you to clear my name if I did," the doctor continued, looking quite panicky. "You got your money. So, please. Spare me."

Killua crouched down next to him and took a fistful of his hair. "You will contact us when you know who they are," Killua told him, throwing him a business card with Killua's number on it. "Then, maybe I'll spare you," he added ominously, before walking out.

After ensuring the money was indeed returned to him, Killua wound up at the hotel.

He made his way back to the suite and opened the door quietly, thinking everyone would be asleep by now. He was surprised that the entire group, with the exception of Nikita, was up and wide-awake. Leorio and Senritsu, as he had overheard her name being, were polishing off a bottle of red wine while Kurapika and Gon were drinking tea.

"Welcome back!" Gon greeted, causing everyone to turn. Without replying, Killua threw his phone at him.

"I got the money back," he announced, and Gon looked at the account page that was open on Killua's phone. True enough, the money they spent on Nikita's auction, plus a bit more, was there. "The auction and her medical bills," Killua explained, and Gon beamed at him.

"So, what happened?" Leorio asked, sitting up straighter.

"I roughed him up a bit. He won't be bothering us again," Killua said, plopping down on the couch and eyeing Kurapika. "Thanks for getting her back," he gave in, acknowledging how grateful he was to the Kurta. Kurapika nodded, looking serious. "So you filled them in?" he asked, and Leorio and Gon nodded. He'd have to hear what happened at the auction from them another time. "Good. The doctor bastard mentioned some people heard about her and might be out to get her," Killua told them vaguely, sighing in irritation. "His auction gave her quite a bit of publicity…"

The atmosphere got tense after that, so Gon tried to ease it. "Kurapika and Senritsu are staying over with us for a while!"

"What? Why?!" Killua asked, not intending it to sound as mean as it did. Senritsu chuckled softly.

"Boss wants us between our original hotel and the exits of this city in case the person we're body guarding gets kidnapped," Senritsu explained, and Killua nodded.

"Okay, then," he said, before standing up. "I'll go to bed," he announced to the group. He had to resist the urge of checking on Nikita, but he knew Leorio had already tended to her leg. Instead, he bid everyone good night and went to his room, feeling completely exhausted from a night of stress.

She knew where she was before she opened her eyes. She heard the beeping from the machines that were connect to her pulse and her father's. She could smell the antiseptics in the air.

She was lying on her side, something she hadn't been doing last time. She tried to move- her right arm had fallen asleep under the weight of her body, but just like last time, she couldn't. The only part of her body that responded was her eyes.

So she opened them. Her eyes blinked slowly as they got used to the bright white light of the room. She could hear shuffling. Before her, nurses were working on her father. She wasn't sure what they were doing until she saw one of them carrying bloodied strips of cloth. They were changing bandages.

Two nurses blocked her view of her father. She wanted to crane her neck, or move slightly so she could see him, but her body wouldn't listen to her. Her throat was dry and she couldn't form a word. She felt tubes running through her nostrils. It was an uncomfortable sensation.

The nurses were speaking in a familiar language, but she couldn't make sense of anything. Her head felt foggy, like it was filled with cotton. Several moments passed before one of them moved to the left slightly.

And then she saw a sight from what could only be a nightmare.

And she screamed.

Senritsu walked into the room to fix her bed. Kurapika had done so before breakfast, while Senritsu had decided to leave it till after. She had hoped the girl would have woken up by then, so the noise wouldn't disturb her. But her hopes were to no avail.

The first thing that overcame Senritsu was the quietness of the room. Senritsu wasn't used to this kind of silence, and it took her a while to understand why.

Her eyes opened wide at the realization, and she stared at the girl's face. Her face was contorted in pain, but she wasn't breathing.

"Leorio!" Senritsu called out in panic. "Leorio, she's not breathing!"

Immediately, everyone was in the room, with Killua showing up first. He'd burst through the door at lightning speed. Gon and Leorio came next, with Kurapika behind them.

"What happened?" Leorio asked, running forward and checking the girl's pulse. Her heart had stopped. "Oh no. Nikita! Nikita, wake up!" he tried to wake the girl, but she didn't respond. He didn't know how long she'd been in this state, but the longer she stayed in it, the more damage her brain would receive from the lack of oxygen.

"I don't know. I walked in and she was like this!" Senritsu replied. Kurapika walked up beside Leorio, surveying the girl. Her chest wasn't rising and falling like it should. He wondered if he could use his chains to heal her, but he didn't know what was broken in the first place.

All of a sudden, the girl's eyes opened wide. A blood-curling scream filled their ears before it even registered to them that Nikita had parted her lips.

She screamed and screamed. Senritsu was the first to cover her ears- their sensitivity meant that it hurt her more than the others, but they followed suit, too.

Nikita had shot up into a sitting position the moment she woke up, and Kurapika tried to get her to stop screaming. He got in front of her, and was about to grab her shoulders when she grabbed him instead. Her hands balled the material of his Kurta over-part into fistfuls as her screams turned to chest-racking sobs.

Kurapika was stunned as he felt her death grip on his clothes, but the feeling didn't last long. With a start, the girl jumped off the bed, tears streaming down her face, a hand over her mouth, as she sprinted to the bathroom. The door closed behind her and the group heard her retch.

Senritsu exchanged a glance with the boys, who all looked as surprised as she did.

"At least she's alive?" Gon said tentatively.

"I'll go check on her," Senritsu announced. Leorio nodded while Kurapika smoothed the creases from his blue and gold garb. Killua was standing beside Gon, unsure of what to do.

Senritsu made her way to the en suite bathroom and opened the door. It was unlocked, thankfully, so she entered and found the girl on her knees, her head hovering over the toilet. She had a hand pressed to her forehead, trying to keep the hair from falling over her face.

Quietly, Senritsu moved the stray locks from the girl's face and neck and held her hair with one hand. Nikita leaned over once more and threw up. Senritsu made a move to caress the girl's back.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand as though she'd been electrified. Senritsu had to take in a deep breath and her mouth involuntarily went to her mouth as she felt nausea take over her body.

Despite the fact that her eyes had been wide open, she'd felt herself become teleported to a different place. She had no longer been in the bathroom, alongside the broken girl who was hunched over the toilet seat.

She was in a hospital, and what she saw sent shivers down her spine. There was a man on a hospital bed, groaning pitifully as nurses worked on changing his bandages. To Senritsu's horror, his lower jaw was missing. His skin was a mass of burns and open wounds, and his mouth was a mess of flesh and blood. There was nothing to separate his mouth from his neck. Everything hung out and Senritsu could see what was left of his tongue and teeth hang out in brutal, bloody chaos.

The man was conscious and clearly in pain. He tried to speak but couldn't.

That was what Senritsu had seen when she touched the girl, but as soon as she broke contact, the image disappeared and she was back in the hotel bathroom. Nikita threw up again, sobs wracking her body in between.

The music hunter was not sure why her body had been hammered by nausea and pain and disgust. She had seen worst sights than a man missing half his face, but as she thought harder, she realized it must have been connected to what Nikita had been feeling. Somehow, her thoughts and feelings had been transferred to Senritsu the moment they touched.

She didn't know how it was possible, but at least she understood why the girl had reacted the way she did. She knew that the man was her father. How, she couldn't tell, but again, it was probably related to everything else that had been shared to her.

Senritsu also knew that what she had seen was real. Despite the fact that the girl's body had not moved from the bed, Senritsu knew that what she had experienced had truly happened, but somewhere else. She needed to ask Leorio and the others for some explanation. Had this happened before?

Getting her shaking under control, Senritsu continued to care for the girl, who didn't have anything left in her stomach. Yet, she continued dry heaving. Senritsu avoided contact with her skin, choosing instead to pat the girl's back over her tank top. That worked well enough, since Senritsu wasn't thrown into another painful scene from Nikita's mind.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Nikita turned her head slightly and tried to give Senritsu a smile.

"I'm sorry. I'll be fine on my own. I'll be out in a few minutes," Nikita told her, and Senritsu nodded. She understood that the girl wanted to be alone, and if she was able to talk and fake a smile, she should be able to handle a few minutes on her own.

Senritsu slowly exited the bathroom, only to be met by four expectant pairs of eyes. The poor musician was still feeling shaken from her experience, even though she shouldn't be so sensitive to that kind of imagery. She let out a shaky sigh, feeling almost relieved to have a wall put between her and the eccentric girl.

"What happened?" Kurapika asked, instantly noting the obvious paling of her complexion.

Senritsu didn't really know where to began, but she tried to tell it chronologically.

"I don't know how it happened, but when I touched her… I saw what she saw," Senritsu told them, and the boys all looked at her in disbelief.

"W-what do you mean?" Leorio questioned, moving towards Senritsu's bed closest to the bathroom and sitting on it.

"It doesn't feel like it was a dream. More… like it was real life, but just not here? It's very difficult to explain…" Senritsu furrowed her eyebrows but before anyone could speak, she continued. "I think I saw her father. We were in a hospital. And I understand why she's feeling nauseous…"

"Oh no…" came Gon's automatic response.

"This doesn't make sense? She told me a few days ago that she'd been to "visit" him and that he was still alive?" Killua argued, expecting an answer quickly.

"So this has happened before?" Kurapika nonchalantly spoke over Killua's questions.

"Killua told me she said that. But we hadn't been in contact with her then, so nothing happened to us…" Leorio responded. Over the two of them speaking, Killua fixed his stare at Senritsu, who smiled at his haste.

"He's alive, like she said. But in bad condition. I don't know how it happened, but half his face was missing. It was just a mess of flesh and blood and bandages. I should be immune to those things, but when I touched her… it was like I wasn't just getting what she was seeing, but what she was feeling, too. Everything was just transferred to me, and I feel like experienced the situation the same way she did." Senritsu paused when there was a flushing sound from the bathroom. "And I don't think she was expecting anything like this, hence how sick and in shock she is."

"Maybe we shouldn't all be standing here when she comes out. She must be feeling bad," Gon spoke up as the flushing noise died down.

"Not to mention embarrassed," Killua grunted, before making his way out the room.

"I'll stay behind. She didn't even try to be careful with her leg in her hurry, so I should take a look at it," Leorio said, and the others nodded as they headed out. Kurapika stayed behind a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something, but when he heard the bathroom's door rattle, he shook his head and continued his way to the living room.

Leorio continued sitting on Senritsu's bed as Nikita opened the door and stumbled out. She felt completely out of it, so the pain from her broken leg didn't register until it was too late.

"Damn it," Leorio muttered, getting up immediately as Nikita fell face first on the carpeted floor. She broke out into sobs, curling her fingers against the soft green material of the carpet. Leorio felt sorry for her, but didn't know how to help. Instead, he focused on getting her back to bed, so he picked her up tenderly. She didn't protest, or even seem to notice.

Leorio carried her the few meters to her bed and laid her down over the covers. He sat down close to her, holding her against him as she continued to cry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Pixie Says: You have every right to throw sharp objects at me. I won't complain, I swear. Here's the next chapter, and to make up for the delay, I'll try to have a second update up by the weekend =] Thank you so much for the reviews.**

**If anyone's interested, I've been trying to get on top of my bachelor thesis, which currently means sitting in a small lab trying to sort through washed and dried jackal scats I gathered in Tunisia over summer... Not going so well, seeing as I'm still tired and not feeling well physically (dislocated tailbone and possible stomach ulcer ftw) OR emotionally. But seriously, your reviews are fabulous!**

* * *

Eventually, Nikita calmed down enough to fall asleep again, and Leorio took a look at her broken leg. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be much worse than the night before. Relieved, Leorio left to join the others in the living room.

"Do you guys need to leave soon?" he heard Gon's voice ask as he walked up to them.

"Yes. We start working soon," Senritsu responded, smiling softly at the young boy. "But we will be back at night, it seems."

They all looked up as Leorio took his seat on the couch. He sighed as he removed his glasses and cleaned them with the ends of his shirt.

"How is she?" Senritsu was the first to ask.

"She seems quite broken. Her leg should be okay though. She fell asleep before I could talk to her," he explained, and silence fell over the group for a moment.

"Leorio," it was Kurapika who spoke this time. "You do realize this makes her even more dangerous? If she is tricking you, this ability of hers could-" He was cut off by Killua angrily standing up.

"Why are you so hell bent on her being an enemy?" Killua asked, outraged that the blond Kurta didn't drop his suspicions. Kurapika didn't react more than a blink.

"For starters, you don't know her very well. And like I told the others last night, you're hunters or world-renowned assassins. Those are motives enough for someone to draw up an elaborate scheme."

"Senritsu just told us she experienced exactly what Nikita was, and it's obvious that she's as oblivious to her situation as we are," Killua argued back.

"Picking apart memories is an easy task for an experienced Manipulator. Not to mention, we don't know the true extent of her ability," Kurapika shot back. Killua didn't understand why he felt so hostile all of a sudden, but he wanted Nikita to catch a break, and it pissed him off all the more that it was his own friend who was causing her trouble.

"Look. You're right. We don't know her, but gut feeling tells us she's not pulling a fast one on us. And I would prefer it if you treated her as an innocent person rather than a criminal until she does anything to prove otherwise."

Kurapika looked at Killua squarely in the eyes. "I always intended to treat her civilly."

"We have another problem," Leorio broke them off. He understood Kurapika's concerns, but he also didn't feel anything out of place with Nikita. Killua had been suspicious of the doctor that took care of her, and his suspicions proved to be right. He trusted both of the younger boys' instincts and if they didn't sense something wrong with Nikita, then he believed in their judgement.

"What's that?" Gon asked, trying to lead his two friends away from their argument.

"Well, the kidnappers picked Nikita up close to the hotel, which might mean they know where she's staying… On the other hand, it could have been a lucky shot and they simply spotted her on the streets," Leorio explained.

"The latter is highly unlikely, since they were linked to the doctor you met," Kurapika responded. Killua sighed loudly.

"Matts won't have anything to do with us anymore, though he mentioned others might come after her. I don't think it matters if we move her. Unless we get her aura under control first, she's a walking neon sign," Killua said, and the others nodded.

"We're professional bodyguards, and I have no qualms over watching over her when we're here," Senritsu spoke up, and both Kurapika and Leorio looked at her in surprise, the former because she hadn't consulted him and the latter out of gratitude and relief.

"I would rather not leave her alone too long, but I have studies to care for, as well, and I can't get much done here," Leorio confessed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't mind reversing my daily rhythm to accommodate more studying when you both are free."

"We can discuss this more later. We really do need to head out now," Kurapika said, suddenly moody. Senritsu nodded and stood up. They said their farewells and exited the suite together.

A few hours later, Nikita woke up to a dark bedroom. Through the thin slits between the curtains, she saw that the sun was still up. She felt hazy, and her memories were clouded. In the back of her head, she hoped everything had been a nightmare, but she couldn't remember what was exactly.

It took a few moments before she remembered what she had seen, and more moments still to calm herself down. She wanted to cry, but she had no tears left to cry. She couldn't remember crying so hard in her life, not even when her mother died, and it felt good to have someone there when she did.

She still remembered Leorio pressing her to his side and tenderly rubbing her back, telling her to let everything out and that she would be okay. The scent of his aftershave that she hated so much before was suddenly soothing. It helped her stay rooted to the world she was in and not spiral into despair. She fell asleep after tiring herself out by weeping.

When she finally felt she could face another day, she hobbled to the bathroom, not forgetting her crutches this time. After freshening herself up, she made her way to the living room. She saw Killua and Gon on the couch, playing video games while Leorio was sitting on the single seated sofa to the right of them, a pencil in his mouth as he read his medicine-related book.

She realized how gloomy the room felt as she came closer to them, and had to stop to get her bearings. Gon was the first to notice her with his sensitive ears, and he looked up with a smile. It still didn't feel right.

She parted her lips and said, rather shakily: "I'm so… sorry…"

That got the other boys' attentions, and Gon made his way to her, a spring in his step.

"What are you sorry for, Nikita-chan? It's not your fault. We understand!" and with that, he put his arms around her in a friendly hug. She was surprised at his show of affection but hugged him back.

"I'm apologizing for dragging you all into this…" Nikita replied softly, squeezing Gon back when he did, before letting him go.

"No use crying about the past. Just get over here so we can talk about what to do next," Killua's voice came from the couch set, and Leorio sent him a glare for sounding so heartless.

Nikita wiped her eyes with her hand, chuckling slightly at Killua's attitude, but she did as she was told. Gon followed her, making sure she could steady herself on him if she needed to.

When she was seated on the couch, Killua threw the controller aside and faced her. Leorio put down his pencil and did the same.

"So…" Leorio said, clearing his throat as he thought about where to possibly begin. "Do you know you transferred your…thoughts, perhaps, to Senritsu this morning?" Leorio asked Nikita softly. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I guess not…"

"She said she saw your… father. After she touched you," Gon explained. "She also said she could feel the same things you were feeling," he continued. Nikita stared at the three of them in disbelief.

"H-how…?" she questioned.

"Your nen is obviously strong enough to pierce into other people's minds," Killua said abruptly. "I didn't see any reaction from Gon when he touched you just now, so it must have happened because your feelings were raw."

"So, this is something that happens when she doesn't feel in control?" Leorio asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Killua retorted. "I can't say for certain, but this is my guess."

"Just say that, you brat," Leorio hissed between his teeth. "Anyway, we talked and realized others might know you're living here-"

"Oh no…" Nikita interrupted, but Leorio shook his head to assure it was okay.

"We thought about moving, but that doesn't seem to be a good idea either, so we're staying right here. But we will begin to train you in controlling your Nen so you won't be as flashy a target," Leorio said, smiling to lighten the mood. "Or at least, the boys will. I'm still a newbie at this, too, so I might sit in on your lessons with you," he winked at her, and she smiled, appreciating his attempt at cheering her up.

"Thank you, Leorio… all of you," she said, looking at all three of them.

"Don't worry about it," Gon replied, smiling at her. "Oh! Kurapika and Senritsu are staying in your room for the time being. Is that okay?" Gon asked, realizing she probably hadn't registered that.

"O-of course, it's okay," Nikita stammered. "You've already done so much for me. Even if I wasn't okay with it- which I am- I wouldn't have the heart to complain."

"Great!" Gon said, before picking up Killua's discarded controller and giving it to the silver-haired boy. "Just make sure you keep Kurapika away from spiders," Gon joked and Nikita heard Leorio grunt.

"Hm? Does he have a phobia?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Not quite. He loses it when he sees one, so make sure you're not in the same room as him then," Leorio told her matter-of-factly, and Nikita nodded, trying to commit everything to her memory.

Nikita tried to get used to her new schedule. She spent most days training with Killua and Gon, who had managed to get her to tap into her Nen, but her progress was slow. On her breaks, she would often hang out with Seif, who had come up to check up on her after having seen the mess she was in before. He always got her hot chocolate and had a habit of offering a cig to her every time he went out for a smoke, the former which she enjoyed and the latter, she always declined politely.

As she was still not recovered from the outburst of her aura that she had a few days prior, even the light exercises she did with the boys drained her out. She was always out of it by the time her new room mates, Kurapika and Senritsu, returned from work. She barely saw them or spent time with them, but she still felt like she'd gotten close to the musician. She seemed very empathetic, and Nikita was surprised to learn that her hearing was so astute, she could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the suite.

Nikita was painfully aware of the fact that, despite them having different circadian rhythms, this Kurapika person was obviously avoiding all contact with her. He was never in the same room that she was in, and if she went into the kitchen when he was there, he was always quick to leave. He was awake and his bed was made hours before she opened her eyes, and he went to bed only after he was sure she was asleep.

Currently, she was sitting in the kitchen, trying to stomach some food after barely eating anything for a few days. Killua was watching her fiercely as she turned the baked potatoes in front of her into a literal mash without putting anything in her mouth. For the fifth time in a short while, she sighed.

"What the hell is your problem?" he asked her, a bit aggressively. It frustrated him that she wasn't eating. She was already weak and feeble in this state, and had barely been able to do her usual stretches that morning, so continuing to resist nourishment would make it all worse.

At the sound of his voice, Nikita jumped and let go of her fork, which clattered against her plate. "I'm sorry," she responded meekly. "Too much in my head," she grumbled next, and Killua furrowed his brows at that.

"Like what?" he asked her and she sighed, again.

"Does Kurapika have a problem with me?" she asked, head on. At Killua's frozen expression, she realized the answer. With a small huff, she managed one more forkful of mashed potatoes and hotdogs before pushing her plate aside. "Thought so."

"You need to eat more," he scolded her and she nodded.

"I know. I know. I can't, though. I can't get the images out of my head. I get nauseous. I'd rather keep the little food I have in my stomach than push myself and throw up," she told him and this time he sighed, running a hand impatiently through his white locks.

"Kurapika doesn't trust you. But that's how he is. It took him a while to be okay with me, too," Killua told her, his voice low. "And I think he's gotten even more paranoid since he started his new job…"

Getting up, Nikita moved the contents of her plates into a Tupperware, which she then put into the fridge. "He's ignoring me completely. I don't think I'll even be able to get his trust this way," she admitted, as she moved to the sink and dished up. When she was done, she filled a glass with water and sipped at it slowly. "Are you going out again today?" she asked and Killua nodded. He had been spending more and more time with Gon out in town, trying to collect some money before the auction began in just a few weeks.

"He and Senritsu aren't working until night-time tomorrow," Killua suddenly spoke up. "You might have some time to interact with him during the day, then."

"If he can stand being in the same room as my conscious self, then yes. I'll try to seize the chance," Nikita said a bit harshly, but a shy smile was on her lips when Killua looked at her.

"So, back to training?" And with that, they made their way to the living room again.

* * *

**Please review!  
**


End file.
